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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087394">I'll Stop the World and Melt With You Cause We're Done Trying to Be Cool</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaryav/pseuds/Zaryav'>Zaryav</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek &amp; Paul/Levenson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adoption, Bisexual Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy is a pyrokinetic, Emo Jeremy Heere, Evan Hansen &amp; Zoe Murphy Friendship, Evan Hansen controls the plants, F/F, First Kiss, Gay Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen), Heroes &amp; Heroines, Homophobic Language, Idiots in Love, Jared Kleinman Is a Good Friend, Larry Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen) Is a Bad Parent, M/M, Sky High AU, Slow Romance, Squips (Be More Chill), Teen Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 02:46:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>37,147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087394</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaryav/pseuds/Zaryav</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Starting school, refusing to use your powers, getting over your crush on your best friend, falling in love with her evil brother and fighting a bunch of bullies are just things that happen to any superhero at Sky High.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alana Beck/Zoe Murphy, Evan Hansen/Connor Murphy, Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell, Whizzer Brown/Marvin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sooner or later, your legs give way, you hit the ground</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Evan finds it funny that such a tough kid cares about safety. Not because it's a bad thing, no, he totally supports the use of seatbelts in cars, but Connor Murphy has the appearance of being the type who lives on the edge, the kind who doesn't care about the world or the consequences. But in the end, he is also one of those who handle one of the most dangerous things in the world and still wears a helmet.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Evan knocks on the door and Mrs. Murphy lets him in. It's his first day of school and he's as nervous as he's anxious. The first days of school are naturally always tough, with the whole thing about new lockers, schedules that barely leave enough time to breathe, and even new teachers. But the first days of school in a new school, God, the idea has been killing him inside for a year. Not only are they new schedules with new teachers and new lockers, now it is another school, with another system, with new people and new ways to ruin everything.</p><p>"A piece of steak, Hansen?" Asks Mr. Murphy from the table. Evan is standing in the kitchen entrance holding his backpack against his body as if that could save him from the terrible clutches of carnivorous food. The very thought of whatever the man was eating will revive to murder Evan leaves him uneasy.</p><p>"Larry, you know Evan is a vegetarian." Mrs. Murphy intervenes. Or Cynthia, as she had asked Evan to call her since he was eight years old and came to her house to play with Zoe. Although yes, that was a fact that he forgot since he was eight years old.</p><p>"Uh, you know, m-my mother can communicate with uh...animals?" He starts to playing with his hands. "They don't really like being eaten, I guess that's ... that's kind of logical, I think."</p><p>The married couple looks at him with discomfort, especially Mr. Murphy who loves big chunks of steak for every meal as if he were a huge lion that needs enough strength to survive. And God, Evan doesn't even have control over the sweat that falls from his forehead right now.</p><p>"Leave Evan alone." Zoe kisses her parents on the cheeks and grabs a toast with jam from the center plate. "Come on, Evan."</p><p>Zoe finally reaches her side pulling her by the hand to lead her to the bus stop. Which is actually a huge relief because the situation was getting too awkward.</p><p>Because that's what Evan does, he makes everything too awkward to function.</p><p>"Have a nice day kids!" Cynthia yells from the kitchen.</p><p>"Smash them!" Mr. Murphy says to the contrary.</p><p>Zoe snorts and Evan is as red as a tomato because Zoe Murphy's hand is still in the same place, circling Evan's wrist. "They don't know yet."</p><p>"W-what?" Asks Evan who has been too busy thinking about the hands of the most beautiful girl on planet earth on his wrist. Your mind is simply not in tune anymore.</p><p>"About my lack of powers, Evan," she repeats. "They don't know that I don't have my powers yet." She keeps her eyes straight ahead, Evan knows how much her father's approval means to her because well, they've been friends since the age of seven and she's been so pressured about the idea that her parents are two of the biggest superheroes of the world, probably. The incredible Commander and the wonderful Jetstream, they are not just any name in the directory of local heroes, they have taken care of great villains like Barron Battle or Royal Pain.</p><p>"They will love you no matter what," Evan says ignoring the flutter growing in his stomach because this is not the time. Zoe needs her best friend, not her stupid best friend who is also in love with her. "That's what parents do, t-they love you unconditionally."</p><p>And he knows that's not true. His father abandoned him and his mother as soon as he got the chance. It was that summer when he was seven years old, that his mother was finally able to buy a house in a good neighborhood and Evan met Zoe. A truck came to his house and Evan was very excited because it was similar to those who transported his things to the new house.</p><p>Evan got a truck ride, and he never saw his father again.</p><p>Love is not unconditional for Evan, but he suspects that his father stopped loving him when he realized that Evan's convictions were different, stopped loving him when he realized that Evan was different and different is always bad.</p><p>Someone like Evan would never know what he did to make his father stop loving him. If it was one thing or if it was all about him, but one thing is for sure. Whatever he did, Zoe couldn't have it. She was wonderfully smart, kind, and determined, the complete opposite of Evan.</p><p>"Not for my father," the girl murmurs in a melancholy and tired way, almost as if there was nothing to do but resign herself to the fact that if she didn't get her powers, they would stop loving her. "Here comes the bus."</p><p>Zoe lets go of his hand and they both board the bus that is already full by then. The driver asks Zoe what her name is and she barely says her last name, all eyes are on her, a boy even offers her his place, but Zoe asks him not to. They both walk toward the back with their eyes on Zoe. The two boys go to the back of the bus and there they find Michael Mell who has been a great friend of Evan since the beginning of time.</p><p>"How was your summer?" Michael asks excitedly how only Michael can be by setting aside his backpack so Evan can sit down.</p><p>"Mom and I traveled to one of those gardens for their work," he explains quietly. "It was f-fun."</p><p>"Practicing your superpowers?" He asks excitedly, arching an eyebrow. Evan blushes without knowing why.</p><p>"No, just ... helping plants to grow." Michael slaps him on the back in a friendly gesture. "Do you ... already have your powers?"</p><p>"Oh yeah. My mother came to me one day and told me that her powers came when she started puberty, so I didn't have to feel the pressure over my shoulders." Michael explained. Michael's mothers were good friends with Evan's mom. The history of their friendship goes back to the LGBT Parents Association of Superheroes.</p><p>Heidi, Evan's mother had joined LGBTPAS after Evan confessed that he could be bisexual. Michael for his part was the gay son of two beautiful women, Lily and Anna. Lily controlled the weather and Anna could create rays of light. The two met at a meeting of Support Heroes and fell in love there. Michael loved telling that story.</p><p>"However, it all happened this summer. I woke up one morning, much earlier than usual, and then ... Wam!" Michael clapped his hands.</p><p>Evan waited for something to happen or for the boy to at least finish speaking, but it seemed like that was all he planned to say.</p><p>"Oh, then what is your power?"</p><p>The boy denied moving his index finger from one side to the other. "That's a surprise, Evan. You'll see that in class."</p><p>When they are finally arriving, all the students are glued to the windows to see the school floating in the sky as if that was a normal situation in schools. They just float, I don't understand why you wouldn't know +. Evan, like everyone else, believes that it is the most fabulous thing he has seen in all his years of life</p><p>Most of the people with powers study in special private schools to sharpen their skills, but that wasn't even close to the case of Evan. His mother had enrolled him in a public school where Zoe had to beg to be allowed to attend because Mr. Murphy said the private school was so much better for someone as talented as Zoe. "That way I can keep my identity hidden, no one will suspect." Zoe had said, and that seemed convincing enough to get Mr. Murphy's approval.</p><p>Everyone gets off the bus when it is already parked in the place, Michael and Zoe stick to Evan because only they know each other, and he thanks him internally when a couple of teenagers approach them with the intention of intimidating them.</p><p>First, the shorter one who appears to be a sprinter runs around them taking the oxygen out of them and the other one laughs from the bottom. In the end, the shorter boy stops, and the taller one turns out to have the power to stretch because he reaches them by lengthening his body in very long strides as if it were made of rubber.</p><p>"The new ones have to pay a fee." Says one of them, he's wearing a sports jacket and Evan assumes he's the typical football player like in the movies. The shorter boy behind him laughs knowingly.</p><p>"Guys, stop it. Leave them alone." A gorgeous brunette girl with her hair in dreadlocks stands next to the pair of teenagers with a tone that is equally sweet as it is commanding. "Hey guys, my name is Alana Beck, I'm a third-year student and ..."</p><p>Evan stops listening when he sees the way Zoe looks at the girl. It's a look he's never seen on her, it's the way Evan looked at Zoe the first time he saw her when they met at seven years old. His stomach churns and a sensation of pain implants in both his chest and stomach, but he decides to ignore it.</p><p>"I will guide you to the gym for selection. Please follow me."</p><p>"What great shit ..." whispers a boy next to him. He is dressed entirely in black, but the white and red striped shirt still seems too childish on him.</p><p>"It is, isn't it?" Michael responds with a flirtatious smile that goes unnoticed.</p><p>"What is the selection?" Zoe asks.</p><p>"It's where they decide if you're superhero or useless," the blond boy replies again before rolling his eyes.</p><p>"They prefer to call them Supporting Heroes." Another boy with glasses and a throaty voice intervenes. "I'm Jared, this is Jeremy."</p><p>"I'm Michael." Michael's gaze is on Jeremy when he says it. "They are Evan and Zoe." Zoe extends her hand to introduce herself and Evan just smiles. He knows he might look like a pushy jerk, but he's just too nervous to speak.</p><p>The gym is huge, and suddenly Evan feels too small in that place, he doesn't doubt his powers, they are the same as his grandmother's and that is a pride, but he doesn't like to show his powers only to be separated in groups.</p><p>The teacher enters the room and introduces himself as Coach Boomer, who apparently has the power to create a sound wave because when he screams he almost sends them all flying. The man takes out a clipboard with the list of students.</p><p>The first to come forward is Christine Canigula, a petite girl in the most colorful combination of clothing Evan had ever seen, largely because everything she wore was blue.</p><p>"What can you do, Smurf?" The coach asks giving the girl a contemptuous look.</p><p>"Humiliating her in front of everyone is something I expect from students, not from a teacher," Zoe mutters in an annoyed voice.</p><p>"That's not fair ..." Evan mutters. More scared than outraged, if that's the way the teachers are, he doesn't want to meet the upper-grade students.</p><p>Michael snorts. "If life ever became fair, rest assured that it wouldn't start at school."</p><p>Christine turns into a huge stone monster that could easily crush them all. The trainer included.</p><p>"Car," says the adult, and a car falls on her. It's no surprise when Christine picks it up without a problem. "Good... Hero!" The man shouts now with a smile.</p><p>"My turn, look," Michael whispers in his ear and then runs to the center where he goes up on the small stage to show off his powers. If there's one thing Evan admires about Michael, it's the confidence he has to get things done. Going on stage, going to school plays, even normal activities seem like a sitcom scene with him, and it's like everything is rehearsed. Not like the absurd rehearsals, Evan does before any social interaction. Not like that morning when he stood in front of the mirror-like every morning for a month and did a thousand trials on how to present himself without looking like the biggest idiot in the universe. Just like he'd rehearsed it long enough for it to become natural.</p><p>"Did I tell you it was your turn?" The coach confronts him with a stern tone that has no effect on Michael.</p><p>"My name is Michael, Coach Boomer and what I do is going to surprise you." Evan hadn't noticed how flashy Michael was even in his clothes. A phosphorescent red sweatshirt with a huge star in the center, as if the million embroidered brooches around it were not enough, but if there is something you should know about Michael, it is not only how eccentric he can be, but for Michael too much is never enough.</p><p>The seconds pass, but Michael is not doing anything. "Anytime, little star."</p><p>"I started already."</p><p>"To do what?"</p><p>"To shine, don't you see?"</p><p>"Assistant."</p><p>"I think we need to turn off the lights, you can put your hands around your eyes and-</p><p>"ASSISTANT!" Yells the man making Michael fly off without difficulty. "You," he points to Jared. "Front and center."</p><p>"Before I start I want to say that it is an honor to be-"</p><p>"Is that your power? Be a flatter?"</p><p>"Very funny, sir. The rumors are true, you have a great sense of humor."</p><p>"Shut up and show it."</p><p>"As you wish, sir." Jared melts into a puddle on the floor. The coach crouches down to his height and after a sarcastic comment calls him an Assistant.</p><p>A couple more boys come forward, a boy with six arms, a girl who turns into a ball, a girl who spits acid saliva. Another guy who's kind of a shapeshifter. And so on until it's Jeremy's turn.</p><p>"What is your power?"</p><p>"I'm a shapeshifter," Jeremy replies in a tone is both annoyed and uninterested. As if everything matters shit to him.</p><p>"Then change." Jeremy shrinks in his place until he turns into a guinea pig with a purple wick on his back.</p><p>"An ugly rat?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>Evan can almost feel the boy roll his eyes.</p><p>"Not even an... army of rats?"</p><p>"Ahm, no." The coach makes him an Assistant while making a disgusted face. "Die."</p><p>"You," the man huffs. "Hippie boy, your turn."</p><p>"Ah, I ... I only use my p-powers when the situation demands it." Evan is shivering in place, the gazes of the others burning into his body. Shit, he hates being the center of attention.</p><p>"How lucky, I am the situation and I demand it."</p><p>"But ... Uhm, if I ... that would be- be participating in the effects of the- effects of the system. I don't support the dichotomy of the Assistant and the Hero is-"</p><p>"You refuse to show me your powers? Then you are an assistant."</p><p>The word doesn't reverberate in his mind, but the way Coach Boomer says it because he's not used to being yelled at. The last time someone yelled at Evan was when he was eight years old and his powers got out of control in the Murphy house and a large plant destroyed Zoe's treehouse.</p><p>The doorbell rings when the coach is looking at Zoe and at that moment he points to her to warn him that she will be next when they return from lunch. She curses under her breath.</p><p>Evan can see the nervousness in the girl and knows that only he can notice it. Zoe is a strong and determined girl, the only reason Evan can tell if she's upset is that he's known her since they were just kids.</p><p>Quickly he's in a group. Michael hasn't stopped flirting with Jeremy and Jared seems to enjoy the boy's annoyed face because he smiles all the time. Michael continues to make silly jokes that everyone hates, but Evan notices the smile on Jeremy's face no matter how much the boy tries to hide it.</p><p>"Coach Boomer will regret making me an assistant." Michael begins with the tray of food stuck to his stomach. "Someday he will be alone and everything will be dark, the coach will drop his keys and I will not shine for him to find them." The entire group laughs as they continue walking in search of a table until a voice rings out behind them and everyone's heart stops at what could be the first mass heart attack in history.</p><p>"You are talking about me?" Coach Boomer gets up from one of the tables and turns to Michael who completely nervous denies before Coach turns into JD, one of the guys in his class who was chosen as a hero.</p><p>"Hey asshole, you're not supposed to use your powers outside of the gym," Jared yells at the boy who turns around and shows him the middle finger. Jared shows him the middle fingers of both hands and makes a face.</p><p>"Let's just go," Zoe says heading to an empty table near the back of the cafeteria. Everyone takes a place and as always, Evan sits next to Zoe.</p><p>"Is it my imagination or does that boy keep staring at you Zo?" Michael asks, raising an eyebrow mischievously. Zoe turns around to see who he's talking about. Her face turns pale and her brow furrows.</p><p>"That's Connor Murphy ..." Jeremy mutters very softly.</p><p>"Murphy? Do you know him?" Asks Michael amazed by the coincidence. Zoe denies, and that makes it weirder because rarely did people with powers have a similar last name without being family.</p><p>"Who is he?" Evan asks.</p><p>"I heard his mom married a villain, the guy is in jail," Jared responds by biting into his sandwich.</p><p>Zoe snorts. "It doesn't matter."</p><p>"Doesn't it matter? The guy is looking at you like he wants to kill you. I heard his power is fire." Jared says alarmed. "Wasn't your father the one who put your father in prison?"</p><p>"I don't want to talk about it, guys."</p><p>Evan intervenes. "Let's just eat, o-okay?" The gazes are placed on him causing him to instantly regret it and decide to continue looking at his plate.</p><p>"If you want," Jared croons. "But he keeps looking at you."</p><p>Zoe pecks at her food with her fork, no one is paying enough attention, but it's still weird that she chops a burger that way. Especially since Zoe loves hamburgers. Then Evan knows that there's something more than his simple lack of powers, it is not just that that is overwhelming him at all.</p><p>"You're good?"</p><p>"No ..." The voice comes out in a high-pitched thread, she looks scared, and Evan's heartbreaks. So he does an old trick from when they were kids and takes a flower out of his hand and hands it to the girl. She smiles at him gratefully. "Jesus Christ, you are the best."</p><p>He blushes.</p><p>"Your power is incredible, Jeremy." Michael puts a potato in his mouth.</p><p>Jeremy rolls his eyes. "Stop making fun of me, it's not funny."</p><p>"Stop it, I'm not making fun of you. You're seriously amazing, man. I'd even trade my power for yours." Jeremy makes an impenetrable expression for a few seconds before ducking his head with blush and continuing to eat.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>"Oh, move your ass off, assistants. Time to continue on our way," Jared says as the doorbell rings and the cafeteria is starting to disperse. "I have to go to the bathroom, Jeremy?"</p><p>"Damn alright, let's go."</p><p>"We will catch up with you later."</p><p>"See you." Michael nods with a smile. "Come on."</p><p>The hallways are full of people, surprisingly when they arrive in the hallway of the first year, there is hardly anyone, which is a relief. At least Evan won't have to deal with people clogging his locker. And it wouldn't be a big deal really if Evan wasn't shy enough to ask for them to be removed, but he is and there were so many times that he couldn't get his books out, he even lost count.</p><p>"I'm just saying it would be better if they took the meat off the school menu."</p><p>Michael's face warps into the most exaggerated expression of outrage in the world.</p><p>"No, no, no, Evan I love you, but I won't have my meat lunches taken from me."</p><p>"Guys- Ouch ..." Zoe backs into place when a body hits her.</p><p>"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Now it is Zoe's turn to blush, it is not only her cheeks, it is also the tips of her ears, and a nervous smile is drawn on her lips when she hears her name. It's the first time Evan hasn't seen her frown at his last name.</p><p>"Telepath, right?" She jokes.</p><p>The girl denies. "I saw it on your name tag, actually."</p><p>"Oh." Zoe lets out a laugh that sounds more like a sigh. "They are my friends, this is Michael." The boy raises his hand to say hello. "And he is-"</p><p>"Evan, I know, I heard you refused to show Coach Boomer your powers."</p><p>His face heats up with embarrassment. It's only his first day and there are already embarrassing rumors about him. "I- yeah, but it was just ... I was just, my powers weren't-"</p><p>"Easy, it's okay, the dichotomy between assistants and heroes is something that I don't support either, I think that was very brave of you."</p><p>"Oh ..." Evan didn't expect that. Maybe a tease or a look of disgust, but definitely not that. "Thanks, Alana." She smiles at him in response.</p><p>"So ... Zoe, someone from the first year should be part of the welcoming committee, I'd like you to be that person. If you're ... interested maybe we can meet after school to talk about it." Alana asks, she sounds worried that Zoe will say no, but Zoe smiles. Tooth grin and all, and she says yes, that would be awesome, so they both trade numbers.</p><p>Evan would be a liar if he didn't admit that it hurts a bit, that seeing the girl he's been in love with for more than half his years in life talking to a beautiful girl doesn't hurt. But he can't do anything against the way they look at each other.</p><p>"Okay, see you later then, Murphy."</p><p>"Yeah..."</p><p>Zoe is looking back saying goodbye to Alana, Evan is not paying attention to the road and now it's her turn to bump into someone.</p><p>But it is not a sweet girl from the welcoming committee who is inches from his face. It's a boy, Connor Murphy, to be more specific. He has long, scruffy hair, huge military boots that could crush Evan's head if he tried, and even a leather jacket. He looks like a gang member, or a punk biker, or whatever punk means, it doesn't matter. Connor Murphy is in front of him and that intimidates him.</p><p>Zoe pulls him by the arm and leads him away, ignoring the boy's presence.</p><p>"Thanks ..." Evan murmurs still with the feeling of having his heart in his mouth, however, there is no answer.</p><p>The rest of the day is no better for anyone, Jared is soaking wet, the guys who teased them that morning decided poking a freshman's head would be fun, Jeremy came in so mad Evan was afraid he was going to try to hit someone. Zoe was still nervous, she faced those guys with ease because that has always been something she can do. That's probably Zoe's true power, advocating for those who don't have the courage to make their voices heard.</p><p>As the forecast predicted, Zoe confessed that she had no powers, even so, the coach dropped a car on her that thanks to the power of some entity she managed to evade and when that did not work, the man decided to fly her out by making her crash into a column. Finally, she ended up being an Assistant.</p><p>They said goodbye when they sent Zoe to speak to the nurse and didn't see each other for the rest of the day.</p><p>In the end, he too said goodbye to the boys and walked on his own to the bus. It was easy to get confused, he shouldn't have separated from the boys, now he could end up on a bus heading to Idaho. What an idiot you are, Hansen.</p><p>Evan looks around, but all his visual focus can focus on is Connor Murphy getting on an old motorcycle that makes a strange sound. The kid puts on a helmet, and for some reason, Evan finds it funny that such a tough kid cares about safety. Not because it's a bad thing, no, he totally supports the use of seatbelts in cars, but Connor Murphy has the appearance of being the type who lives on the edge, the kind who doesn't care about the world or the consequences. But in the end, he is also one of those who handle one of the most dangerous things in the world and still wears a helmet.</p><p>He just walks to the bus where he finds the driver who took them that morning. The man remembers his name and asks for Zoe, he denies.</p><p>Of course, he's worried about Zoe, she's his best friend, he's been worried about this day for so long that Evan almost knew his internal dialogue by heart.</p><p>There were days when he cursed Mr. Murphy for making his best friend feel like trash indirectly, but his mother wouldn't allow him to curse, so he kept it a secret and didn't do it again.</p><p>The keys with the flower keychain are on the table and that means his mother left work early and she is already home. There is also a tray with the logo of the Chinese food that he likes so much.</p><p>"Ev, how was your first day?" The woman gives him a kiss and a hug. She's still wearing the vet uniform.</p><p>"Good," Evan responds.</p><p>"Mmm. And Zoe?" The boy scratches the back of his neck nervously.</p><p>"She's an assistant, me too, by the way. And I haven't seen her since she was sent to the infirmary."</p><p>Heidi puts her hands to her mouth. "She is fine?"</p><p>"Yeah, I mean, she didn't tell me it hurt something ... but the coach dropped a car on her and then took her flying until she hit a wall."</p><p>"That idiot, isn't he supposed to be an adult? I'll call the school right now." Evan stops her, grabs the arm that holds the phone.</p><p>"No, Mom, that will make my life miserable."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Heidi asks concerned.</p><p>"He said he didn't want mommy's children, if he finds out that I accused him with my mom they will make my life impossible."</p><p>"Evan, fighting for the rights is not being a mommy's boy, it is having an appreciation for decency and humane treatment."</p><p>Heidi's gaze is intense, she has rarely been seen like this on issues other than about animals and their rights. He fidgets in place uncomfortably before holding her hand.</p><p>"Just ... let me fix this by myself."</p><p>"Are you sure?" He nods. "Okay..."</p><p><br/>Evan wakes up from a nap after helping his mother with the garden where all the rabbits she had brought from the vet where she works lived. Her eyes feel hot, she scrubs them hard before standing up. Take a look at the time on the clock hanging on your wall. Stretch your legs and neck to loosen your body.</p><p>It's barely eight-thirty, Zoe is probably sitting on the roof of her house. Evan stuffs a blanket into a backpack and runs to Murphy's house, which is across the street. Just as I suspected, she is sitting there. Evan grows a plant and climbs to the roof next to it.</p><p>"Hi, Evan."</p><p>"Hello." He sits down with the backpack on her lap. "How was your appointment with the nurse?"</p><p>"The news keeps getting better and better. I will probably never get my powers."</p><p>"Did ... did you tell your parents?" Zoe's gaze drifts and she bites her lip. "Zo ..."</p><p>"What am I supposed to say? My father took me to Sanctuary, his sanctuary, Evan. I couldn't say thank you Dad but I'll never be able to use it because I don't have powers." She snorts.</p><p>"Zoe, you have to tell them."</p><p>She laughs. "My parents are the greatest superheroes in the world. Everyone expects greatness from me too."</p><p>Zoe has never been one to cry, her father never agreed with tears, but right now, what Evan wants the most is for her to cry, to let out everything she feels inside. All he wants is to help her.</p><p>"You are already great, Zoe. You are incredible and you know that I admire many things about you."</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>"We are assistants, but that's not the end of the world. When life gives you lemons ..." Evan grows a branch that extends until it is in front of Zoe's face.</p><p>"Isn't that an apple?" Zoe laughs.</p><p>"It was supposed to be a lemon ... I d-don't know what happened."</p><p>"Thanks, Evan. Really, I ... I don't know what I'd do without you."</p><p>"You probably would have died on the English test."</p><p>She laughs a loud laugh. "Would you stay to sleep?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah, sure."</p><p>"Great, now give me that blanket you have there, maybe that exam didn't kill me, but the cold will."</p><p>The next morning they officially have their first class as assistants. Michael runs to the free space with Jeremy, Jared hisses because he wanted to sit next to his best friend, but ends up sitting behind Jeremy. There is a free place with Jared, Evan offers it to Zoe and he goes to the back.</p><p>"Are you sure?" Zoe asks. He nods.</p><p>In the background there are two free places, Evan is about to tell Zoe to sit there together, but then Connor Murphy sits there under the curious and scared gaze of the rest of the students in the room. "What he does here?" It is one of the most repeated questions among the murmurs of the people.</p><p>Connor drops his head onto his arms and stays in that position until the teacher reaches the classroom. Zoe continues to stare at Evan's place in annoyance.</p><p>"I'm Professor Whizzer Brown, and this year it's my privilege to help you become the best support heroes." The professor comes down from the desk he had decided to climb on. "Of course without the supporting heroes the heroes couldn't do anything ..." He wrinkles the tip of his nose and denies. "They could actually do quite a bit, but they'd be very lonely. They wouldn't have anyone with that whole secret identity thing and-" the man's gaze goes to Michael who has his hand raised. "Yes?"</p><p>"When will we choose our costumes and our names? Because I want to be called Mike Attack!" Michael spreads his arms. Jeremy slaps his face with one hand while the rest of the class laughs.</p><p>"You don't choose the name, on the day of your graduation you will be assigned a hero and he or she will decide your name and what they are going to use... what is sought is that there is not a bad combination of colors. When I was the Commander's Assistant, he touched me red, white, and blue. Which helped me because white highlights my teeth and red go well with my skin ... "The professor denies. "My point is that you cannot choose your name."</p><p>"You were the Commander's Assistant?" Zoe asks raising her voice over the noise of the murmurs.</p><p>"Yeah, we were a team, miss ... uh, Murphy?" Professor Whizzer gulps, making his Adam's apple go up and down. "Are you Larry's daughter?" Zoe nods with a nervous laugh. "And he never told you about me?"</p><p>"No, I don't think so, professor."</p><p>A sarcastic laugh is heard next to Evan. It's Connor Murphy muttering something like "that's not news." No one else hears him, but Evan does, and there seems to be hatred behind his words. Which he doesn't bother to hide and he doesn't know if it's because he actually thinks that no one should be listening to him.</p><p>Rumors spread quickly, everyone knows that Connor is in the Assistants class, or Supporting Heroes as Mr. Whizzer insists on calling them. But no one knows why someone with the power to control fire is an assistant. Everyone says it's because that way they will prevent him from learning about the heroes' secret hiding places because he will inevitably turn into a villain who will try to kill them all.</p><p>Evan doesn't know too much about the whole Heroes and Villains thing, his mother never used her powers to be a Superheroine, she has always done everything to help animals, she even studied college while keeping a job as her father's assistant, But all of that was before Evan was born. Her father was a Hero with the power to make herself invisible. Sometimes Evan imagined that his father had not left them, he was simply in the room using his power, perhaps he believed that they were still playing hide and seek and that is why he had not left for seven years.</p><p>He hadn't heard from his father, he hadn't seen him and he never called even though the phone line was the same.</p><p>I wouldn't say he misses him, he just misses the idea of having a father, in fact, he argued a lot with his mother. Especially because of the way Heidi was educating him with all those ideas about using your power to help others beyond just fighting villains.</p><p>Things are not always easy, not even when you have powers.</p><p> </p><p><br/>One morning the classroom light goes out by an explosion that causes the entire school to shake, to everyone's surprise, a red light shines in the center of the room and Michael laughs.</p><p>"How funny, Michael does shine." Jeremy scoffs because that's his way of flirting, or so Evan assumes he's seen them pretty close together lately. Michael shows him his tongue.</p><p>"Easy guys." Mr. Whizzer searches his desk for a lamp. "Everything will be fine."</p><p>"Good morning. We had a little incident in the science room, but we'll fix it soon." Mr. Marvin from the next class walks in and watches Professor Brown. "Whizzer."</p><p>"Marvin," he replies dismissively. "If you are done with your announcement we should go back to our class."</p><p>The man seems to want to say something but finally resigns himself, decides that it is best to leave, and simply turns to go back the way he came. Mr. Whizzer clears his throat and continues.</p><p>The training is tiring, but it is not exhausting. They have a thousand theory classes on what are the best weapons for a hero, and they learn about Robin's theory.</p><p>Classes are no better when they actually learn to hang from the ceiling with hooks, Jared always growls about how stupid it is for heroes to have rocket packs while they have to climb.</p><p>"Imagine if they kill my hero, then I could save the day, but not actually because I'm two hours late. Seriously, who climbs an eighty-story building with hooks?"</p><p>"You, Kleinman, now do it." Indicates Mr. Whizzer.</p><p>Jared keeps complaining and Jeremy whispers something in Evan's ear.</p><p>"He complains so much because he's afraid of heights." He smiles and Evan mimics him.</p><p>At first, he didn't feel like he fit in well with the new order of the group. Zoe would sometimes go with Alana after class, Michael was always close to Jeremy and Jared... not that they were very compatible. But now, months later it's like it's only been in his imagination, Jeremy is so much fun and Jared is funny without trying to be at all.</p><p>Laughter erupts when Jared climbs up too fast and hits his head on the ceiling.</p><p>"Wait to see what Michael will do in class tomorrow."</p><p>"Oh god, no." Jeremy laments bringing a hand to his face. They both laugh again.</p><p>Said and done, the next day they have to change quickly in case of an emergency and Mr. Whizzer promises to give extra points for the best pose.</p><p>It is Michael's turn who ends up falling to the floor when he leaves. But it's even better when Jared comes out in his underwear and still poses. Surprisingly, Michael and Jared take the extra points.</p><p>"Mr. Whizzer is the best." They have ice cream in the cafeteria today, Jared shoves a full scoop of chocolate ice cream into his mouth and undeniably gets a frozen brain.</p><p>"Shut up." Zoe hits him laughing.</p><p>"Man, if I weren't in love with someone already, I'd ask him to marry me." Michael adds. Jeremy frowns.</p><p>"That's illegal, asshole." Michael smiles at him.</p><p>"Are you coming to my house tonight to do homework together?" Zoe asks looks are on her. "What?"</p><p>"The Commander's house and Jetstream? Are you kidding? Would a group of Assistants have that privilege?" Jared exaggerates as is typical of Jared. It's as if Michael and Jared were created from the same mold.</p><p>Zoe rolls her eyes and throws a cucumber slice in his face. "Shut up."</p><p>"I'm in," Michael says raising his hand.</p><p>"Yes, why not?" Jeremy nods, Michael smiles at him and he ignores him.</p><p>"Super, see you at my house at six."</p><p>The first to arrive naturally is Evan, they watch a movie before the boys arrive. As always, Zoe insists on watching 'Django' or 'Titanic' because they are her favorite movies, and Evan suspects it's just because of Leonardo Dicaprio, though she always denies it "It's because of the plot, Evan, to hell with the pretty faces." Evan for his part suggests 'Flushed Away' or 'Le Petit Nicolas', not because he likes someone simply because they are the funniest movies on the face of the Earth.</p><p>And as always, they end up watching a show on TLC.</p><p>They ring the doorbell, and Zoe assumes it must be the boys, she sends Evan to open it and throws him a cushion that he can't dodge. She opens the door to greet whoever has arrived, but Jared, Michael, or Jeremy are not found, instead, Connor Murphy is at the door. He watches him for two seconds before muttering his name and finishing by clearing his throat.</p><p>"Why are you taking so long, Evan?" Zoe comes to his side and the smile falls from her face. A grimace of annoyance is planted on her face. "What are you doing here?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't think anyone is reading this, but I'll leave it here anyway.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. And I try so hard to keep it inside so no one can hear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"What happened?" Jeremy is the one who clears his throat and shows him his backpack that has something written in feather on the front. "Boyf? What does that mean?"</p><p>A smiling Michael lifts his backpack at the same time to show him another scratch written in down.</p><p>"Riends?" It takes two seconds for Evan's mind to tie up the loose ends and he understands. Of course he laughs and Jeremy slaps him indignantly.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Connor moves fidget in place looking awkward at how little he seems to fit into this scene. The warm lighting even makes his pale skin take on a more human color and removes his appearance of the living dead.</p><p>Seconds go by, Zoe's stern gaze is on his body, as if with that she could freeze him to death, but it doesn't seem like that's the reason why Connor looks so nervous.</p><p>"I'm looking for Cynthia," he says after a few seconds that in Evan's mind passed like a complete eternity.</p><p>"She's not here." Zoe responds almost instantly defensively. "If you need anything from her, call her next time."</p><p>Connor laughs, it's a bitter laugh, and he doesn't even try to make it sound minimally genuine. "You have not changed anything."</p><p>"Bye, Murphy." The boy turns around but not before giving Evan a quick glance that stops his heart in a... different way.</p><p>Zoe groans and turns around, Evan is confused. As much as anyone would be if Connor Murphy, the supposed son of an evil villain, showed up at your house, especially if your parents were the ones who sent his father to prison.</p><p>"What was that all a- about?" Evan asks following Zoe into the living room. She denies and flops down on the couch, she's notoriously upset for some reason that he doesn't understand, because instead, he'd be scared to death. "Your mother is upstairs, why didn't you call her?"</p><p>"Just ignore this, Evan, it was nothing."</p><p>Then the subject is reserved for another occasion.</p><p>Later the boys arrive at the house, and it seems that Zoe's spirits have returned after Connor had appeared on his doorstep intending to see Mrs. Murphy. Evan suspected it was especially because Michael had come up with veggie burgers for everyone, just because Evan was a veggie and even though Michael wasn't, he had always respected that about his friend.</p><p>"Surprisingly." Jared points to his half-eaten burger, he has traces of sauce in the corners of his mouth, and Jeremy tosses him a napkin muttering something about manners and human decency. "This tastes good and I have no idea how that is possible."</p><p>"The magic of a good hamburger is not in the meat." Michael recites with one hand on his chest as if he were a president giving a lecture. Zoe laughs and Jeremy throws a pillow at her. "I can tell your fondness for throwing things, Jerry."</p><p>Jeremy rolls his eyes and flops against the back of the sofa, his shoulders sagging. "Otherwise, neither of you would shut your mouth." Jared decides that it is a good idea to show him the food from his mouth. "This is what I mean! You two are a dirty pair."</p><p>Michael and Jared high-fives still laughing, Evan also high-fives Jared when he gets close to him.</p><p>"Let's get back to homework, guys." Zoe holds her book on her lap and gets a wave of boos, because no human would want to do her homework when they can just ignore it exists. "Yeah, yeah, I don't like it either, but to hell. Number one, a radioactive zombie is heading towards your hero, you give him A, your crossbow with silver arrows, B, a wooden stake or C-"</p><p>"Man, that's stupid." Jared snorts pushing his notes. "If I already have his weapon in my hands, why don't I use it?"</p><p>"Because you're a supporting hero, you idiot," Jeremy replies. "And if A, because it is definitely A, what is missing is the crossbow, then you give it to the hero."</p><p>"Or heroine," Zoe adds.</p><p>"And with that you kill the villain."</p><p>"Or her," she repeats.</p><p>"Yes, but you don't kill a zombie, if anything, you finish it off." Jeremy says like that is obvious. Michael sighs dramatically.</p><p>"An expert in killing zombies, you are the complete package." Jeremy blushes and shows him the middle finger. That makes Michael's in love face spread into a flirtatious smile.</p><p>They all stare toward the entrance as the sound of the door opening floods the room, much to Zoe's fear, it's her father. "If everyone is here, who is out there helping save the planet." The Commander jokes, all the boys smile at each other excitedly.</p><p>"Dad, what are you doing here?" Zoe asks nervously.</p><p>"Well I live here, Zo."</p><p>"Yeah, I meant th- well, it's too early."</p><p>"Oh," he laughs. "I was thinking that you and I haven't played baseball in a long time, so I thought about coming home earlier, but I see you're busy with your friends."</p><p>"Jared Kleinman, it's an honor, sir."</p><p>"What is your power?" Larry asks with a smile.</p><p>"I melt, sir."</p><p>Larry's face is disgusting although he's good at hiding it from a couple of fans. However, Jared's smile falters.</p><p>"I'm Michael and I shine."</p><p>"Interesting."</p><p>"I'm Jeremy, I shape-shifting," the boy shakes the Commander's hand and the tone Larry uses to address Jeremy is gentler than the one he used with Jared and Michael when he asks if it is true that he changes shape. "Yes in a guinea pig," he replies and the commander's face falls again.</p><p>"Great, what a... such a talented group, yeah ... I crave a sandwich, does anyone want one?" They all deny and Larry heads towards the kitchen. Evan and Zoe meet eye to eye and Zoe stands up to go to the kitchen with her father. The man is making a sandwich when Zoe walks into the kitchen. "Your friends are nice, Zoe. I just have one question ... does that boy really shine?"</p><p>"Sometimes, yes."</p><p>"Wow, the demands have really dropped for the superheroes at that school since I studied there." Zoe sighs.</p><p>"Well... he's actually an assistant."</p><p>Larry lets out a laugh that hurts in Zoe's chest. "Oh, I figured it out."</p><p>Zoe takes a deep breath, puffs out her chest, and runs her tongue over her parched lips. "They're all actually assistants ..."</p><p>Larry turns around, and for a second his expression is confused for Zoe, she imagines the worst, does she really wonder what's the worst that can happen to her? She knows her father, she knows what he's capable of, and while she has faith that things could be different with her because well, he's her father, there's still a little spark of fear. Or that until finally there's a proud smile on her father's face. "Congratulations, Zoe."</p><p>"Yes?" She asks excitedly, suddenly everything is as if this burden that she has carried all her life on her shoulders had been for nothing. Like a kick of the world saying "I scared you, you fucking bitch." And Zoe has to admit that yes, she was caught.</p><p>"Yeah, someone with your gifts dating a group of Assistants? Your grandfather would have killed me if I had brought a group of Assistants to my house as a rookie." Larry puts the sandwich bread aside and Zoe's world flips apart. That was his opinion, so her grandfather wouldn't have liked her either if he had found out what she really was.</p><p>"There's nothing wrong with being an assistant." Her voice is barely a thread of high-pitched sound, the beat of the world mocking how naive she is is much harsher.</p><p>"Oh, no, no, of course not. I even had one and he saved my life, which is surprising because he was a flag, literally."</p><p>Zoe ignores her father's laugh. "So would it be okay for you if I were an... an Assistant?"</p><p>"I forgot his name ..." he mutters before looking at Zoe. "Yeah sure, that would be nice, hey, pass me the mayonnaise."</p><p>Zoe grabs the bottle of mayonnaise from behind her and hands it to her father. "Great, because that's what I am."</p><p>"Are you what?" Larry is too busy putting mayonnaise on the bread to pay attention to their conversation. Zoe wants to hit the bread so the man will deign to look at her, so that he'll at least yell at her about how disappointed he's in her to get this over with.</p><p>"That I'm an assistant, Dad. I'm just like them... God, no, I don't even have my powers. I ruined the offspring of heroes."</p><p>A thunderous bang echoes through the house, her father bangs the table and various things fall to the floor. There's an overwhelming silence before all in the house is the sound of Larry's furious scream. "RUIN? YOU TOLD ME YOU ALREADY HAD YOUR POWERS!"</p><p>"I pretended."</p><p>"But it seemed like... you had super strength."</p><p>"Well no, I just made it look like I had powers, but- but I don't." Larry walks up to her and takes her by the shoulders, there's fear in his eyes, she never believed she lived to see that.</p><p>"But you will." She backs away from the grip.</p><p>"The truth is that nothing is safe, the nurse told me that sometimes ... sometimes that doesn't happen and I'm not interested, okay? I ..." Evan is proud, he knows that listening to other people's conversations is not good But you can't help it when they yell and the volume of their voices is high enough for them to hear. "I like being an assistant, I love my friends and- I love who I am."</p><p>Everyone in the room is looking at each other and returning their gazes to their books when Zoe is back with a terrified little smile and Evan wonders how that's possible. How do you look so happy and so scared at the same time? He imagines that this is the expression of someone who knows that he has just survived death.</p><p>"Okay, I think we should finish this... uh, what's next?" She asks. The others look uncomfortable, probably because that conversation was just a reminder that their powers are worthless in a world of men and women who fly and destroy mountains with one click. But the look Evan gives her is one of utter pride. "What?"</p><p>The four of them stop looking at her expectantly and Jeremy continues reading the book.</p><p>"Your hero travels 500 miles per hour for 15 minutes. Your arch enemy is heading south at three hundred miles per hour for ten minutes. If your hero has X-ray vision, how long would it take him to see that he is going the wrong way? "</p><p>"You're my idol, Zoe." Evan whispers into the girl's ear.</p><p>She blushes and squeezes her friend's hand like the old days when Evan was too scared of the rain and she was the only one who could calm him down. "It was all thanks to you."</p><p>Zoe closes the door after saying goodbye. Michael stands next to Jeremy claiming that he will accompany him to his house because they live close by, which is a lie because they live on opposite sides, however, Evan does not say anything, that is something Jeremy does not have to know from his mouth.</p><p>"See you tomorrow." Michael waves his hand goodbye, Jeremy pushes him with his shoulder and Michael puts an arm around the boy's shoulders.</p><p>"That just leaves you and me, where do you live?" Jared shoves his hands in his pockets. He's probably cold.</p><p>"At the end of the street, on the other side of the sidewalk." The boy points a finger at his house.</p><p>"I'm going over there, let's go together." Evan nods and the two start walking. "Do you think we are a shame?"</p><p>"We? No, I don't think so, I mean, like, at least not you. You guys are... amazing."</p><p>Jared snorts. "The Commander doesn't think that. Listen," he stops and stands right in front of Evan. "My family thinks I don't realize they are disappointed in my power, yes I melt, sorry to be this, but man, I can't change it. I would if I could I swear, and that look from the Commander." A bitter laugh escapes from the back of his throat, there's pain in his words, he's hurt, not even upset, just hurt. "My parents look at me like that every time someone mentions it."</p><p>"Jared, he just needs time."</p><p>"You know something? I'm tired of being seen as weirdos, circus freaks who weren't invited to the party... we're more than this right?"</p><p>"Of course we do, we just need the- we need the chance to prove it." Evan pats the boy on the back in front of him.</p><p>The night is cold and much darker than usual, but for some reason, his body feels light. For the first time in years, he's not worried about Larry finding out about Zoe's lack of powers. He's not even worried about his future, he's just fine, he's calm.</p><p>The next morning, everyone is at the table waiting for Zoe to arrive for lunch.</p><p>"I saved an extra pudding for our girl." Jared says waving the pudding in front of Michael and Jeremy's faces that they missed one.</p><p>"I'll give you five dollars for that pudding." Michael takes out his wallet.</p><p>Jeremy slaps his hand. "Don't be an idiot, for two dollars you can buy a pudding from the vending machine."</p><p>"It's not the same taste, Jerry."</p><p>"Don't call me that, Michael."</p><p>"Here comes Zoe." Evan advises with a smile.</p><p>The night before he had been thinking that maybe anything was possible. If Zoe had the courage to confess to her father that she was a supportive hero, then perhaps Evan might have the courage to confess to the girl of his dreams his feelings for her. He has been thinking about it for years, but suddenly he feels like he has the courage to do it.</p><p>Michael catches Zoe's attention and Jared is foolish enough to show her the pudding he kept for her from his place. Immediately, Rich and Jake appear and Rich snatches the pudding from Jared's hands.</p><p>Zoe doesn't realize it and continues walking until she falls to the ground thanks to Jake who reached out to pull the girl's foot. Zoe's tray of food falls on Connor Murphy who at that moment turns totally furious and faces her. Zoe looks scared.</p><p>"Sorry," she murmurs. But Connor doesn't budge.</p><p>"It will hurt a lot." Connor warns. Evan wants to stand up to help his friend, but fear drives him back like the coward he is.</p><p>"Hey, you don't have to do this."</p><p>"Do you think just because Larry Murphy is your father you can do whatever you want?" Connor spits out the words furiously.</p><p>"I'm sorry my father put your father in prison-" Connor holds her by the collar of her shirt, there's fire in his eyes. Everyone seems to have stopped to watch the fight.</p><p>"Don't ever repeat that shit." Zoe storms away as Connor's hands light a huge wick of fire. And she runs when she sees that Connor is actually planning to throw a fireball at her.</p><p>People make enough space for Zoe to run. Evan moves in her place undecided on what to do to help her as he repeats himself a thousand times that his powers are not to be used for violence.</p><p>Connor continues to throw fireballs and Zoe continues to flee, dodging them with great dexterity. Suddenly it's funny how people always walk away from Connor when he's not doing anything, but they don't run away when he's seriously upset and throws fire left and right. Everyone screams encouraging the fight while Zoe desperately searches for how to escape from this situation.</p><p>Evan watches behind him, three girls dressed in different colors make their way through the crowd with Alana Beck following behind. He knows them, everyone refers to they as The Heathers. Heather Chandler, Heather McNamara and Heather Duke, lucky to have such a curious trio at such a time.</p><p>"What's going on?" Alana asks arriving next to Michael. Her gaze wanders all over the place searching for answers.</p><p>"That guy went crazy and now he's trying to kill Zoe."</p><p>Alana tries to get closer to help, but Heather Chandler's hand stops her. She has a ghoulish grin on her face just like the other Heathers and Evan doesn't get it because these girls are heroes and should at least try to get the people around to stay away.</p><p>But Evan doesn't have time for this, he runs to the other side of the cafeteria and makes a paranormal effort to pull out the fire extinguisher and give it to the girl who needs it. It's a movement that he can feel as if he's passing in slow motion, as long as he has his friend close enough, he simply throws the extinguisher at her for her to catch him.</p><p>Zoe opens the fire extinguisher and sprinkles all the contents on Connor thus preventing him from hurting him. A layer of white foam covers Connor's face as he desperately tries to use his powers again.</p><p>Just then the director appears with Professor Boomer and Professor Whizzer. The sound of her heels is drilling into their eardrums until she reaches the center of the dining room.</p><p>"Both of you, follow me!" Screams the totally angry woman. With a wrinkled forehead and curved eyebrows. "Now!"</p><p>The teens look at each other, Mr. Whizzer clears his throat as Connor, Zoe, and the principal disappear and the teacher asks them to return to their activities. Whatever that means, the man is pale and scared as they have never seen him before.</p><p>Jared mutters something about how everything sucks at this school. Michael claims that he's going to follow the director to tell her the details and Jeremy looks very upset.</p><p>"I'm sick of those two morons," he says in a whisper. For two seconds Evan thinks he's referring to Zoe and Connor, but he's talking about Rich and Jake. "Everybody here thinks they have the right to screw up our lives just because we're Assistants."</p><p>"I'd give anything to break those two's heads." Jared joins the conversation. The crowd of people has already dispersed, even Alana seems to have left at some point.</p><p>"Let's just go to class," Michael turns around.</p><p>Zoe's text messages aren't reassuring at all. Alana convinced the headmistress not to expel them both, but they were put the rest of the day in a room that nullifies their powers to resolve their differences, of course that didn't help, Connor didn't even look at her.</p><p>But what really worried both boys, was the reaction of the Murphys. Mr. Murphy would be upset to learn that there was a fight at school in which his daughter was involved.</p><p>However, things are different than expected because Larry decides that this must be a big step to get his powers, which must mean something. Mrs. Murphy on the other hand went back to her room and stayed there until the next morning when Zoe woke up and left the house to go to school.</p><p>The ride to the bus stop is silent, neither she nor he knows what to say, so Evan gives the girl his space before being whipped with the thousand and one questions from the boys. But she stops him, looks him in the eye and tells him that she has something very important to confess.</p><p>However, that morning Zoe is taken to hero class under the excuse of separating her from Connor Murphy, who is at the back of the room with Evan and looks terribly bad.</p><p>She waves her hand in goodbye before leaving and the living room becomes a nest of gossip and whispers until Mr. Whizzer stops them.</p><p>"Why can she be a hero if she doesn't have any power?" A girl in the background asks. Evan doesn't know her name because she's not very nice with her comments.</p><p>"Because the director required it, if you want someone to complain to, go with her." The man answers before loosening her limbs and a long sigh comes from deep in her chest. "Listen, I know this is difficult to adapt to, everyone tells you that your powers aren't special, but they are. You matter as much as anyone." It seems that no one but Evan notices that the professor's gaze is glued to Connor's head. He doesn't realize it because his head is tucked into his arms. "Zoe is one of the best students, she could open barriers, give mind and heart a place in this shitty system. Let's support her like good companions."</p><p>That's it for the Assistants class, no one is especially focused. Not even Professor Whizzer and he's always a slightly sarcastic ball of energy.</p><p>"Mr. Murphy, I need to talk to you," Whizzer says at the end of class as everyone is leaving to go to the cafeteria.</p><p>Evan stares at the figure of Connor packing his things in his backpack. He has a very slim body and is as tall and lanky as Jeremy, but he does look imposing. Evan doesn't know if it's a thing in his hair style or if it's the leather jacket, or even if it's just the boots. But he's attractive...</p><p>Because another thing that has happened since the meeting at the Murphy house in which Connor appreciated out of nowhere is that Evan has not stopped thinking about him. In the shape of his pretty high cheekbones and the freckles on his pale face. And in his pretty honey-colored eyes.</p><p>Although, he blames himself for doing it since the cafeteria incident, but it seems that the more he tries not to think about the boy, the more he does.</p><p>Then he stops trying.</p><p>"Evan, are you coming?" Jared asks from the door, the room is almost empty, if not for the bodies of Connor and Evan waiting in the room.</p><p>"Yes, sorry, sorry." Evan nods taking his things quickly and hands nervous. One of his notebooks falls to the ground near Connor's boot and the boy simply reaches out to hand Evan what he dropped. "Thank you." He mutters and there's a slight flush on Connor's cheeks, but Evan attributes it to the effort of bending over.</p><p>His heart pounding inside his chest in a fast rhythm that makes an echo in his head.</p><p>"Quick, Evan."</p><p>The boys walk through the cafeteria with their trays in their hands and the only idea to find an empty table. It is as if with the weeks more and more people appear to fill all the tables, leaving them without a place.</p><p>"At this point we will end up eating by the garbage can." Jared comments wrinkling his nose.</p><p>"Guys, over here!" A hand is raised from one of the tables. Everyone smiles when they see Zoe sitting next to Alana, the Heathers, and a couple of guys from the soccer team whose names Evan can't remember. "Come on!"</p><p>The four of them smile at their friend before approaching what appears to be the table for popular seniors.</p><p>Rich, Jake and Brooke's friends appear out of nowhere to fill the available seats at the table.</p><p>"Sorry, Assistants, but it's occupied." Heather Chandler smiles at them with a tone of false guilt.</p><p>Zoe looks Evan in the eye and points to Alana who is sitting next to her. Evan's heart stops and hurts, but he manages to speak.</p><p>"Never mind, there must ... uhm, there must be another place around here, I mean, a table, yeah. Uh ... see ya, Zo." Evan almost runs out and the boys follow him.</p><p>"Don't be offended, Murphy, but we are not a foundation to help losers." Evan hears Heather Chandler speak again and they all burst into laughter.</p><p>A blow lands on her stomach when she says nothing.</p><p>"Time to take it, gentlemen," Michael says as they sit at an empty table where they dumped a piece of meat that Jeremy bet dollars on would grow legs. "We lost our girl."</p><p>"Don't even say that," Jeremy mutters, but he sounds dejected. As if he just doesn't believe what he's saying. <em>Yeah, look, it's better to be with a bunch of heroes than with four losers.</em></p><p>Jared rolls his eyes and snorts. "Did you hear Chandler? Zoe didn't even defend us."</p><p>"Remember that Zoe is with them now ... if she- if they don't like her they will make her life miserable and she won't have us to-" Jared stops him. He moves his hands annoyed, and closes his eyes before speaking.</p><p>"I know you like her, but I know that even Michael who only shines like a stupid baby night light would have defended us."</p><p>"Let's not start a fight. Jared, don't talk like a jerk, and Evan." Jeremy watches him looking for something to say. <em>Get over it, she's not interested in you</em>, it seems like a good option, but it's not what he says. "You're right, let's let this slide. It's not like Zoe is avoiding us on purpose."</p><p>Lunch is no longer fun, neither is talking and to be frank, Evan isn't even hungry anymore. Mushroom salad loses its color and even dessert doesn't help you relax.</p><p>In the last hour Zoe is waiting for him in front of his locker. She says his name and sounds cheerful from the way she says, but Evan isn't happy and it's not even because Zoe seems to be interested in Alana and not him. He just feels that now he's a secondary variable in her life, so irrelevant that he is not worth defending, and not that he wants that, but that is what friends are supposed to do. And he admits it hurt him not to hear a claim when they were called a 'lost cause.'</p><p>So Evan just opens his locker to drop off his books and catch up with Jared, Jeremy, and Michael in the gym for their next class.</p><p>He just wants to go home and pity himself.</p><p>"It smells delicious, what is that?" Zoe asks leaning her left shoulder against the lockers.</p><p>"Tecoma capensis," he replies with a barely perceptible smile.</p><p>"Hey... sorry about a little while ago."</p><p>"What happened?" Evan asks again, pretending it didn't affect him, which is a mistake because Zoe knows him, she knows when he lies and she knows things like that don't leave him alone until ten years later.</p><p>"In the cafeteria, Heather was very-"</p><p>Evan shakes his head, looks down, and closes his eyes tightly. "It was nothing," he says, although he knows it was everything. He knows it hurt and not because of what Heather or whoever said, but because Zoe didn't say anything, and there's nothing worse than a Zoe who doesn't say anything, because she does anything, but she never stays quiet.</p><p>"Yes, it was." Zoe takes a step closer to Evan, he steps back and continues to search his locker for anything to keep himself busy. "That was stupid of me, and I want to apologize. How about we eat at Rice Paper tonight?"</p><p>She tilts her head and slaps Evan on the shoulder playfully. He tries his best not to blush like an idiot, yet he can't hide the smile that grows on his lips.</p><p>"You hate that food." The girl sags her shoulders.</p><p>"Yeah, but you not." Zoe smiles. Evan imitates her out of inertia, and the hollow in his stomach seems to be closing because that's Evan Hansen, the jerk who builds up hope when it's just not worth it.</p><p>"Rice Paper at eight o'clock."</p><p>"I'll see you there." She says goodbye with a sailor's salute, placing her hand on her forehead, palm down, and disappears around the hall.</p><p>He just stands there smiling like the fool that he is, because after all, Zoe does care about her friends, and that's all that matters. It's all that matters because that means things will stay the same. They will continue to meet at Evan's house to do homework, Jared and Michael will karaoke with songs in languages they don't understand, Jeremy will continue to be Jeremy with his sarcastic comments and a fist clash with Zoe when they agree, and Evan will continue to watch everything from a window. Like the little dog in a store waiting to be adopted and just stands there watching other dogs playing with their owners.</p><p>Evan's biggest fear is probably the changes. Changes like moving to a new house, a new house where his father was no longer. Changes like a new school and new people, or those small changes where the possibilities were unimaginable. Not having Zoe Murphy in his life is a variable that doesn't exist. Evan can't imagine a single day of his life without her in it even in the smallest form, like a video call at Christmas parties, or Hanukkah, in the case of the Hansen family.</p><p>Evan doesn't even remember his life before Zoe.</p><p>And that's how important she is to him.</p><p><br/>"Where were you, mate?" Michael asks when Evan sits next to Jared in the front seat. The gym is packed. "You should have been there."</p><p>"What happened?" Jeremy is the one who clears his throat and shows him his backpack that has something written in feather on the front. "Boyf? What does that mean?"</p><p>A smiling Michael lifts his backpack at the same time to show him another scratch written in down.</p><p>"Riends?" It takes two seconds for Evan's mind to tie up the loose ends and he understands. Of course he laughs and Jeremy slaps him indignantly.</p><p>"What are you laughing at?" He is blushing and Michael daydreams. "It's not funny."</p><p>"Nah, yes it is, bro." Jared's shoulders sag. "But that's not the point, I was put in a stupid locker and guess what, Zoe confronted Rich and Jake to get me out of there."</p><p>"Now she'll have to play save the citizen so they'll leave us alone," adds Jeremy.</p><p>"Got damn..."</p><p>The thing with saving the citizen is that, according to the seniors, no one had ever beaten the team of Rich Goranski and Jake Dillinger. And the proof was the senior team that had just been defeated with the worst of tactics. Everyone was clapping enthusiastically until Coach Boomer asked them to shut up for another team to pass.</p><p>"I think it's Zoe Murphy's turn," Jake sneers. Everyone falls silent as Zoe steps down from the bleachers and puts on her suit.</p><p>"Who will be your partner?" The coach asks. Rich and Jake look at each other knowingly before yelling at the same time.</p><p>"Connor Murphy!"</p><p>Evan watches Zoe's expression which is one of annoyance. She closes her eyes tightly and curses under her breath. Connor for his part wears the suit just like Zoe, and Evan doesn't know why he blushes when he sees the boy with his hair tied in a carelessly combed ponytail. Connor's face stands out a lot more and he even looks ... adorable without all those black clothes.</p><p>"I bet that asshole is in league with those two idiots." Jared whispers in Evan's ear. "Sorry gentlemen, prepare to have your head in the toilet for the remainder of the year."</p><p>The scoreboard turns around and the screens reads: Goranski and Dillinger versus Murphy and Murphy.</p><p>"Firehead, Murphy, you are the heroes." A general laugh is heard throughout the gym. How ironic it is for everyone, the son of a villain and the powerless daughter of the man who put him in prison, what a son of a bitch life could be sometimes.</p><p>Alana waves her hand from the stands to greet Zoe, she blushes and greets her back.</p><p>"Hey, focus on the game." Connor groans and Zoe puts her hand down in distress.</p><p>"You have three minutes to save the citizen and defeat his opponents." Jake and Rich yell, the people in the stands cheer, they are generally their friends, but the rest do too, probably out of fear of being hit if they don't. The coach holds his stopwatch between his fingers and starts the game.</p><p>Jake runs to the other side of the gym and stretches his arm to catch himself on one of the posts. Rich recharges and reaches back into a slingshot to launch himself and begins to run across the gymnasium court as if it were a pinball. First he passes by Zoe and flies her out, she crashes against the plastic fence and then Connor is the one who flies off falling on one of the obstacle boxes destroying it completely with his body. Evan rises from his seat almost determined to go in there to help Zoe, but she gets up followed by Connor who throws the pieces of the broken object towards Rich with a red face of anger.</p><p>The next move is from Jake reaching out to grab Connor's entire body in an attempt to render him immobile. Connor sets himself on fire and burns Jake's arms forcing him to back away quickly. To everyone's surprise, most of the audience applauds.</p><p>Jake scowls at all of them and points at the coach accusingly. "That was cheating!" The coach laughs in response and shrugs.</p><p>Evan smiles and his gaze meets Connor's for a second until the boy gulps and looks straight ahead concentrating on the game.</p><p>Zoe tries to stand up again, but Rich keeps running to push her and she flies off again, crashing into the wall and then falling to the floor. Everyone has their hands over their mouths, the blows look painful, but that doesn't seem to be enough to make Zoe stop and stop trying to reach the citizen who continues to yell "Save me!"</p><p>Jake continues to distract Connor, now the boy stretches and Connor tries his best to throw fire at him and burn him in some way until one of the fireballs finally ends up hitting the coach and he gives him a warning under the laughter of the students and Evan even sees Professor Whizzer laugh.</p><p>On the other side of the court Zoe continues fighting against Rich to get closer to the citizen, time keeps running and they have not had any progress, but Zoe seems to have gotten tired of being thrown against the wall because she grabs one of the obstacles on the track and puts in just the right spot to knock Rich off the ground, and that seems to be enough of a distraction for Jake Dillinger because Connor takes advantage of the situation and ties Jake's long limbs to the post he was holding onto. Another group laugh resounds and Rich stands up again to run over the plastic fence as Connor continues to throw fireballs.</p><p>"Murphy!" Yells Connor addressing Zoe. "Save the citizen!"</p><p>Zoe nods and runs to the doll hanging from a rope to fall onto a giant shredder. But at that moment, Rich begins to run around Connor taking the oxygen out of him little by little, making him fall to the ground on his knees with his hands on his neck and his gaze scattered. Zoe realizes that and debates for a few seconds if she should go for the citizen or if she should go help Connor, and finally, she runs up to Jake, takes one of his arms and runs as fast as she can to reach the Rich's side. She stretches out Jake's arm and makes Rich collide with the arm, making him stop at that moment and fall to the floor with the same force that she fell over and over again.</p><p>There are only ten seconds left and the people in the stands have already started counting down loudly. Connor and Zoe give each other a quick look, but surprisingly they seem to understand each other's plan perfectly.</p><p>five...</p><p>four...</p><p>three...</p><p>Connor stands up and grabs the girl to launch with all her might straight at the citizen who is seconds away from being completely crushed. Evan clings to the plastic fence without knowing when he got there.</p><p>two...</p><p>one...</p><p>Zoe holds the citizen in her hands when she falls to the ground and throws him aside when the bell rings and signals their victory.</p><p>All the students run to one side of her and congratulate her by patting her on the back causing her to turn away from the pain. Even the Heathers come over to congratulate her and Michael, Jared and Jeremy do their best to get her attention, but they remain in their places in the stands and the noise of the cheering for the Heroes' victory makes them go unnoticed.</p><p>Evan's gaze goes to Connor's lonely body, the boy is not paying attention to the tumult of people around Zoe, he is simply walking up to the stands taking off his suit in the process.</p><p>Evan's heart is pounding inside him when Connor meets his gaze again and smiles at him discreetly making his cheeks turn hot at that moment.</p><p>Jared says goodbye to him with his head stuck in the bus window. He waves his hand fiercely and continues to shout advice for his "date" with Zoe. Michael had patted him on the back and Jeremy had given him a special look that said something like "<em>you know she's already interested in someone,</em>" because that's the way Jeremy is, he realizes things, he's an observant boy. Evan has even caught him watching Michael when he thinks no one is looking, though of course he's going to deny it because he thinks Michael is a fool, but a fool he's in love with, at the end of the day.</p><p>As usual, his mother is not at home, which means that she will probably be late for work. She has recently talked about a shark that is very hurt and scared and has stayed overtime to help it get back to sea.</p><p>Evan looks at the clock on the wall and still has two hours to get to his date with Zoe. However, he decides to start preparing. He takes a ten-minute shower because he decides to pay close attention to his hair and when he goes out he uses the lotion his mother gave him a year ago as a birthday present.</p><p>He sends a message to Zoe to find out if she wants them to meet there or if she is at her house so that they can arrive together, however, more than forty minutes pass and there is no response. Evan assumes that she is not at home and leaves to the Rice Paper.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I continue to practice my English, if you see any errors, please tell me to correct them.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. It doesn't matter where you've been, I guess you're just what I needed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Connor's gaze is on Jeremy when he asks, "Are Heere and Mell dating?"</p><p>"Why do you ask?" Evan's gaze goes to Jeremy, a different feeling settling in his stomach. Is it jealousy, Hansen? Asks a voice in his head.</p><p>"Because they look like a stupid old couple arguing with their forty-year-old son who hasn't left home," Connor whispers.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Restaurants are hell. Evan knows it and yet he agreed to come to one just because he's an idiot. But luck is on his side and the place is practically abandoned, except for a family in the background, but they are already asking for the bill, and that somehow doesn't relax Evan at all.</p><p>The wait is long after the first forty minutes, but Evan is no less excited than at the beginning. He sends a couple of messages to Zoe asking if all is well, but they aren't answered and he navigates to the start of his cell phone with nothing really interesting to see. Jared shares a few things on Facebook and Michael uploads a photo of Jeremy playing with his dog to Instagram. Evan smiles at the screen, it's only been a few months since they met and somehow it seems Jeremy and Michael have known each other for years.</p><p>"Are you still eating that?" Connor asks approaching with an empty jug of water. And Evan is surprised because he had no idea that he worked there.</p><p>"Hi," he replies like the idiot that he is. He quickly shakes his head at the boy's incredulous gaze, but before he can say anything else, Connor waves back causing Evan to blush. "Ah, I m-mean, no, yes- yes... I- I'm going to finish this."</p><p>"Okay," Connor mutters but doesn't leave.</p><p>"Am I going with you to school? I mean, yeah, we sat to-together… in Mr. Whizzer's class."</p><p>"I know," he nods and runs his tongue over his dry lips. For some reason, Evan stares at Connor's tongue for longer than necessary. "You and Zoe Murphy are friends."</p><p>"Yes," he agrees, looking down. He doesn't know if things are okay between the two of them after that scene at Zoe's house or what happened in the cafeteria, or in the gym. He doesn't know why Zoe seems to hate Connor so much, and he doesn't know why people think he's a villain or a son of a bitch, so far he's been the only person other than her friends who haven't been a shit to him.</p><p>"Do you want me to heat your food?" Connor points to his plate. It is just rice that is too cold to eat.</p><p>Evan flinches instead. He shakes his head from side to side and whispers. "But we can't use our powers outside of school ..."</p><p>Connor rolls his eyes with a slight smile and crouches down putting the palms of his hands on his knees to be inches from Evan's ear. "I would do it using the microwave oven."</p><p>"Oh ... yeah, right," Evan blushes at his stupidity. "I ... I don't know, I was supposed to see Zoe here."</p><p>Connor frowns. "You have been here for almost two hours."</p><p>Evan blushes again and doesn't know if it's because he was stood up and someone from the school noticed or if it's because Connor Murphy actually paid attention to his presence.</p><p>It's not very surprising either, Evan tells himself, there are like two people in this place.</p><p>"I guess something must have happened ..."</p><p>Connor sighs.</p><p>"Do you... do you want to sit down?" Evan points to the chair in front of him. His hands start to sweat and he just wipes them against his lap. He doesn't even know why he asked that. Connor probably has better things to do in an empty restaurant than sit with Evan Hansen.</p><p>To his surprise, Connor looks up to look around for clients who may need him, and he shrugs before sitting down. "Just for a minute."</p><p>Evan's heart races. Connor lights a small flame of fire on his index finger and lights the candle in the center of the table.</p><p>"I didn't know y-yo-you work here."</p><p>"Yes, the owner is my godmother, I guess that helped."</p><p>"Wow, that's great ..." Connor looks at him again in disbelief, and Evan gasps for two seconds before managing to formulate the right words. "I-I mean, that's great because, uhm, because I love the food here and it would be amazing to work here and that, not eat anything else and I- yeah, sorry."</p><p>Connor laughs. Connor laughs at something Evan said and it's like... it's harmonious, he didn't even imagine his laugh could sound this beautiful. He doesn't even care if Connor ever decides to make fun of him with that laugh.</p><p>"Do you come very often?"</p><p>Evan shakes his head from side to side. "I always order at home, it's actually my first time coming here on my own, like, you know, uh... do I have social anxiety? And that doesn't help m-much when I want to order food."</p><p>Connor nods. "I suppose then it is my duty to welcome you?"</p><p>Evan laughs and Connor imitates him.</p><p>Connor's smile is made up of a million parts. Evan didn't even contemplate that a smile could be so complex. There are small wrinkles around its eyes and the tip of its nose is wrinkled in a way that is quite like a rabbit.</p><p>"So... are you dating Zoe Murphy or ...?"</p><p>Evan shakes his head from side to side again. "No, no, we are... friends, like for a few years. We met because we live in the same neighborhood." Connor nods listening to him. A small voice in his head tells him to be quiet, that he should not give data like that to a villain, but Connor doesn't seem like a villain, and today he even became the hero of that doll that they had to save. "Actually, we were in the same school, we had this bean sprouting project and Zoe was upset that hers wasn't gr-growing and she would come to me to wonder why mine was growing so much," Evan laughs. Connor keeps looking at him in a less severe way. "I told her about my powers and... and we've been best friends ever- ever since."</p><p>Connor purses his lips and looks down to play with a pair of bracelets on his arms. "Was that before or after you fell in love with her?"</p><p>Evan chokes on the water and coughs for two seconds. He gasps a few times trying to regain control of his brain-mouth. "I'm not, er- I'm not in love- Am I very obvious?" Connor raises an approving eyebrow. "How awful..."</p><p>"Why do not you tell her?"</p><p>"I... no, she has- she is in love with someone else and I, I respect that. I mean, before I liked her because there was no one and I thought I would have a chance, but now ... she has someone and I don't want to... I know she looks happy with this person. "</p><p>The two are silent for a few seconds, Connor isn't saying anything so Evan doesn't say anything either and just stares at Connor's bare arms. He has a million bracelets that cover at least half of his forearms.</p><p>"So what are your powers?" Evan comes out of his reverie.</p><p>"Uh, I ... control plants, it's not as cool as fire, but ... yeah, my mom talks to animals."</p><p>"The fire is horrible," Connor mutters, however, Evan isn't sure if the comment was directed at him. "Why aren't you with the heroes?"</p><p>"I... I refused to show my powers, is that- I don't believe in the dichotomy of the hero and the assistant, there's no sense in separating people because who defines if you are hero enough or assistant enough? say, lo-look at you, I don't even know why you're with us, your power is... incredible, but someone decided you would be an assistant so that's what you are. " Evan huffs. "Sorry, I- I got upset."</p><p>"Don't apologize, that was... you're right, not about me or whatever, but what the heck, I've met heroes who are shit from hell," Connor growls waving his hands. That's probably Evan's favorite thing about Connor, the way he moves his hands when he talks. He's seen it very rarely because Connor doesn't talk much, at least not in a class, and not with him. But he saw him in gym class when Coach Boomer refused to teach him to use his powers like the rest. "For example, Mr. Whizzer, that bastard is the only teacher who doesn't suck on me. Even Mr. Marion marks her distance. As if I just will decide to go and burn all the teachers in the school, yes."</p><p>"Wow... that must be awful, everyone getting away f-from you."</p><p>Connor shrugs his shoulders, it's an expression that he doesn't care although apparently he does, so Evan takes it as an expression of resignation. Like, look, I'm the son of a villain and everyone expects me to be like him, so step aside or I'll kill you.</p><p>"Last year I was forbidden to go to the homecoming dance."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"For the same reason they kept me in the first year even though I had good grades all year." His look is different, he's sad and upset, and for some reason that makes Evan feel worse than he has ever felt in his entire life. "I bet you are going to the dance this year."</p><p>"Yeah, but well I've never been to one? Zoe and I would stay home to watch like a lot of movies, but now Jared insisted we should all go together."</p><p>"You should ask Murphy on, like a real date, not a friend date."</p><p>"But... her," Evan sighs, it's not like they can have anything either way, and it's just a dance. He just wants his first dance to be with his best friend, that's all. "I suppose maybe I could invite her... but there are two problems, she likes someone and this person is perfect."</p><p>Connor nods shake his head up and down and look Evan in the eye. "You know what I think? If love isn't confessed soon, it will break your heart for sure."</p><p>The way Connor says it is so direct that Evan for a moment imagines that he is trying to say something else as if there is something implicit in those words and his cheeks flush at the idea.</p><p>"Now, your numbers are 12, 43 and ..." Evan laughs, a laugh escapes from deep in his chest and Connor smiles as if with that he was singing a victory. "...What?"</p><p>"For a moment, god, fo-for a moment I thought that you..." He can't stop laughing and by this point he's even wrapping both arms around his belly, as if he didn't, his intestines would fly out.</p><p>"Seriously, you should ask her."</p><p>"Maybe- maybe I will, th-thanks... Connor." The boy smiles at him and stands up to go to serve a couple of customers who have just entered.</p><p>"I have to go."</p><p>"I liked spending the night with you, uh, thanks." Connor blushes and looks away whispering something that sounds like "it's nothing", but Evan can't be sure because he practically runs away.</p><p>When Evan is coming home he can't stop smiling, the thought of thinking about his conversation with Connor Murphy seems to be enough to make him suddenly happy enough that Zoe didn't show up for dinner, and for someone who thinks too much about everything, that seems to be something new.</p><p>Evan waits patiently to be able to cross to the other side of the road when suddenly there is a hand on his shoulder and naturally he turns around very scared. Behind him is Connor who is wearing a navy blue coat, has the tip of his nose red, and holds out a pastel blue sweatshirt towards him.</p><p>"You forgot this," he says, it takes Evan a couple of seconds to react. Slide his hands over the fabric before grabbing the sweatshirt.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>"I'm sorry I scared you, I don't like yelling in the streets." Evan nods, he doesn't even like to scream when he's alone. "Will you go home alone?"</p><p>"Uh yeah, yeah, I wanted to walk around a bit."</p><p>"With this cold weather?"</p><p>Evan nods, the weather isn't actually that cold, and he's already wearing a scarf and long-sleeved shirt anyway. "I'm really not that cold."</p><p>Connor shrugs his shoulders and tucks a lock of his hair behind his ear. "Shall I accompany you- shall I accompany you home?"</p><p>The traffic vanishes out of nowhere, suddenly there are no more cars and the only noise in that part of town is from Evan's heart beating very, very fast and very, very loud. Connor is playing with his right foot, rocking his body from side to side very slowly, and Evan is laughing internally because this is the boy everyone is afraid of. One of who the people run away and the one of who people write horrible things on the bathroom walls. "Connor Murphy sucked Mr. Whizzer's cock." That was the only one Evan deigned to read, but from Mr. Whizzer's expression when he told him what was written in the bathroom, the man already knew.</p><p>"Yeah sure, uhm if you don't, you know if you don't have a problem with that, sure."</p><p>"I asked, right?" Evan nods, muttering a few words before starting off and feeling Connor's arm close to his shoulder. Connor is obviously much taller than Evan, the boy is almost the same height as Professor Marvin.</p><p>The next morning Zoe catches up with Evan as he is walking towards the bus stop. She looks happy and is even using one of the flowers Evan gave her a couple of years ago with a trick his grandmother had taught him to keep them from wilting.</p><p>"Evan! You will never believe what happened to me last night." There is a smile on her face and the few freckles that cover her cheeks shine like gold in the sun. Of course, Evan doesn't say anything because that smile is like a low blow, however, he extends his hand with a fortune cookie and Zoe takes it without question and then opens it. "The smile costs less than electricity and gives more light, Michael will love this."</p><p>Evan continues to say nothing and when Zoe stops laughing she looks at the note with big eyes.</p><p>"Oh no. God! I think I forgot, I'm so sorry Evan, I know you must want to kill me, I'm the worst and-"</p><p>"No, it's actually the opposite." Zoe looks at him in disbelief, Evan stirring instead with a small smile on his lips. "Uh, I have... there's something I- I want to tell you."</p><p>"Yes? me too."</p><p>"Yeah, uh, you- you first."</p><p>"Oh, okay, fine," Zoe says smiling. "It's about the homecoming dance."</p><p>"For real?" The girl nods and Evan's heart flutters.</p><p>"I know we said we would go as a group, but ... Evan, do you know who invited me? ...Alana Beck!" Evan's smile immediately falls into an expression of disappointment. "Yo, a rookie with the most beautiful girl in school, can you believe it?"</p><p>The bus finally arrives and they both go up to their usual places in front of Jeremy and Michael. Jared greets them with a surprised grimace and a high-five when he sees Zoe because she hasn't used the bus for a few weeks because Alana Beck is the one who always takes her to school and waits for her to take her home.</p><p>"You can use my seat, Zo." Jared gets up giving Evan an approving look and goes back where he sits next to Veronica Sawyer, a senior who had the power to fly, but unlike the rest of the heroes and like Christine Canigula, she was not popular, she even liked talking to Jared and Michael.</p><p>"What were you going to tell me?" Evan bites the inside of his left cheek, there's no way he's going to back down because Zoe is stubborn and won't leave him alone until he tells her what he was going to tell her.</p><p>"I will also go to the dance with someone." Zoe puts her hands to her mouth and taps him on the rib playfully. Evan hits himself mentally, what the fuck is he doing?</p><p>"Who are you going with?"</p><p>"With... uhm, Con- Connor, Connor Murphy." Zoe swallows hard and twists her lips in annoyance.</p><p>"CONNOR MURPHY?" Evan signals for her to lower her voice when all eyes turn to the two of them. Zoe is frowning and it's the first time Evan has seen her so upset, at least with him. "Evan, you're not serious, that guy is crazy and hates me! I don't understand what the hell happened, since when have you two been dating or whatever?"</p><p>"We're not a couple," Evan says in what he thinks is the most authoritative tone he's ever used with Zoe, and she seems to notice it because she backs away. "And since... last night, in the Rice Paper, when you didn't show up and he stayed to talk to me." Evan avoids mentioning that he walked him home, he doesn't want a lecture on how dangerous it can be to give your location to 'someone like Connor.'</p><p>"Evan, I already told you I'm sorry, but don't do this to me just because you don't-"</p><p>Evan laughs derisively, he's too sad and it hurts like hell this is happening, but he doesn't care. "It's not all about you Zoe, this isn't some kind of rev-revenge or- or whatever."</p><p>"Well, it seems like it is because you went to the only person you know I dislike right after I didn't make it to dinner yesterday, it's like you want to punish me."</p><p>Evan rolls his eyes and sucks in air, folding his arms. This doesn't feel like something Evan would do, and this is definitely not a way that Zoe would react, not with him. "Okay, maybe I'm not attractive and people can tell. I'm not like you, Z-Zoe I-I don't have the cutest girl in school inviting me to the homecoming dance, but- but Connor is sweet and he was nice to me, so just because you know I suck. Don't act like- no... this isn't about you. "</p><p>Zoe frowns more and gets up from her seat, she doesn't even give Evan one last glance and now Jared is sitting next to him asking what he did to Zoe to make her leave so mad.</p><p>Neither of them speaks for the rest of the day, not even in their chemistry class together and Zoe takes Jared to be her partner, leaving Evan alone.</p><p>"Mr. Hansen, where is your partner?" Asks Mr. Marvin from his desk. Evan's face flushes and he has no idea where to go until he sees Jared's partner, Jenna Rolan. She gives him her best expression of disgust, but hell, Evan doesn't care.</p><p> </p><p>Lunchtime is no better, Zoe is sitting with the same old guys since she was switched to hero class and she doesn't even pay attention to him when he walks past Connor Murphy who is alone at a table in the corner.</p><p>Evan sits up and puts his tray of food on the table, Connor watches him in disbelief. And it's obvious that he didn't expect to find Evan sitting across from him.</p><p>"Hello, Connor."</p><p>"What are you doing, Hansen?"</p><p>"You won't believe what happened, this morning I was about to invite Zoe, like, seriously, and- and then she told me that Alana Beck invited her to the dance and I realized there was no point in me trying something, and- "</p><p>"Alana Beck invited Zoe Murphy?" Connor asks excitedly, in a mixture of anger, surprise and doubt.</p><p>"Yes, I told you that she likes her, and then she asked me what I was going to tell her and I told her that someone had invited me, and you won't believe it, but I told her that...you-invited-me-to-the-dance." Connor opens his eyes and raises his eyebrows so high that for a second it seems like they are going to cross his entire forehead.</p><p>"I don't remember being part of your plan."</p><p>"You said to invite a Murphy, and you are one, so, I- sorry, I panicked and Zoe was doing all this about her thinking it was revenge because she didn't make it to our dinner yesterday."</p><p>"She got angry?"</p><p>"Yes-"</p><p>"I'm in."</p><p>"Seriously?" Connor's shoulders sagged.</p><p>"Hey, Evan, did you do your history homework?" Jeremy appears and sets his tray next to Evan's.</p><p>"What are you doing?" Connor growls, Jeremy is not intimidated by Connor, unlike others, maybe because Jeremy doesn't care about anything. You could punch him in the face and he would just roll his eyes because you didn't get it right.</p><p>"It's called sitting down."</p><p>"No one sits with me." The boy gives him his best bad boy expression to scare him away, but Jeremy is unfazed.</p><p>He rolls his eyes turning to see Evan. "Do you have number four? I'm not sure if Tiger-Man was bitten by a radioactive tiger or bitten by an ordinary tiger and then exposed to radiation."</p><p>"What the fuck? Now we eat with Connor Murphy? You guys really love danger." Jared sits next to Connor and grabs a potato from Jeremy's food tray. He slaps his hand.</p><p>"Is he bothering you, Jeremy?" Michael points at Connor and Jeremy rolls his eyes.</p><p>Connor groans. "I'd say it's the opposite. Does anyone else want a date to the homecoming dance?" Jared raises his hand. Jeremy blushes when Michael smiles at him.</p><p>Connor gets up from his seat and leaves, Evan runs to catch up with him. "Wait here." The boys give him a nod and Michael moves into Evan's place to sit next to Jeremy. "Connor, wait."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I know this is not ... I promise not to bother you, just, actually I would like to go to the homecoming dance with you," Evan says the last one so quickly that it seems impossible for Connor to have understood, but to Evan's surprise, he did.</p><p>"Are you serious Hansen? Because if not, I'm going to-"</p><p>"Yeah! Yeah, it's ... I liked being with you yesterday and, well, you said you didn't go to a dance and- and well, neither did I, so why not?" Connor licked his lips, he was biting them so insistently that now he had a wound and it hurt. He looks away and finds Zoe Murphy staring at them both.</p><p>"Agree." Evan smiles and thanks to him over and over again. "But I'm not renting a stupid tux." Connor finally walks out of the cafeteria doors.</p><p>"This is still the rude guys' table without him, right?" Jared asks when Evan is back. All deny because no, it's not. "By the way, how much did you talk to Murphy about?"</p><p>"Just dance stuff."</p><p>"Dances are boring," Michael mutters, forming a potato tower from the potatoes he stole from Jeremy's tray.</p><p>"Well, I want to go." Jeremy shrugs as he shoves a potato into his mouth.</p><p>"Me too," Michael says excitedly, and Jared and Evan laugh out loud. "Shut up."</p><p>"Zoe is looking at us like she wants to kill us, what did you do to her this morning Evan?"</p><p>Evan shifts uncomfortably in his seat ignoring the stares. "I told him Connor invited me to the dance, but I lied." All three sigh in relief. "Actually I invited him."</p><p>Jared follows closely behind him, Michael talks non-stop and even Jeremy has joined in on this strange sermon that follows him throughout the school until they reach their lockers. It's the last class before their free time and he doesn't want to be late. However, the three boys in front of him prevent him from moving.</p><p>"Do you understand the shit you just got into, Evan Hansen?" Jared asks with crossed arms and an expectant look. He looks annoyed and doesn't seem like he's making a joke about this.</p><p>"Don't overdo it guys." Evan denies trying to get out of this semicircle that has formed around him.</p><p>"Evan, his father is a villain and you told him where you live, do you care about your life or at least... ours?" Michael takes him by the shoulders and shakes him as if that could further emphasize his point. "We could be there when he decides to kill you."</p><p>"Or when he'll get a little horny. And I don't want to live to see either option." And oh, there's Jared.</p><p>"It's just a dance, okay? And unlike many people here, Connor seems to be more de-decent to be the son of a villain than many so-called heroes." Evan pushes the trio of teenagers in front of him out of his way, still holding their books for History class to his chest as if they functioned as a shield, ignoring that Connor heard at least the end of the conversation.</p><p> </p><p><br/>The week is not quieter and definitely not more normal, and everyone seems to be noticing. In some ways it's like there's a plague or some god has decided to do some magical little miracles that seem like something out of the plot of a bad teen movie.</p><p>Michael, Jared, and Jeremy gather at Evan's house to hang out in what Jared calls a men's night out without adult supervision as he makes raunchy hips. And although they reconciled after the little argument they had a few days ago, things with Zoe are no better. She blocked him everywhere and it even seems like they can't live in the same space-time because every time Evan goes to the Murphy house to find Zoe and fix things, Cynthia tells him that she dated Alana. She's probably just pretending he doesn't exist, and that hurts her even more.</p><p>Jared for his part does not stop talking about Verónica Sawyer and how suddenly she is with the Heathers acting like them, and Christine Canigula who even when she was a heroine was not so popular due to her fanaticism for the theater, suddenly she is one of the most popular people and with it, one of the most unpleasant.</p><p>"I don't get it," Jared says, waving his hands exaggeratedly as he speaks. He is especially affected by this. "A few days ago I asked her to the dance and she said yes and now she's fucking Jake Dillinger's girlfriend. This sucks."</p><p>"Mr. Marvin has been acting strange too," Jeremy adds. Michael has an arm around his shoulder as usual. Evan has raised several times to ask if they are officially dating, but he has never actually talked to Jeremy about his sexuality so he doesn't want to make assumptions, although either way, Michael was too Michael not to make a great scene about how. Jeremy Heere is now her boyfriend. "A few days ago Michael and I asked him for help with a couple of smoke bombs that we were designing and he started screaming out of nowhere."</p><p>Michael nodded repeatedly as if, if he didn't, no one would believe him. "The man passed out and I thought he was convulsing, my mother had these fainting spells and seizures so I stuck a pencil in his mouth, but he almost hit me on the nose." He snorted with a frown. "Sorry for saving your life, man."</p><p>"What do you think is happening?"</p><p>"Well, you definitely broke the system by dating a villain." Evan rolls his eyes in a gesture he seems to have adopted from Jeremy every time Jared says something like that. Something stupid, say the right words, Evan, Jeremy would say.</p><p>"Things are weird even before that and Connor is not my boyfriend, Jared," Jared smirks.</p><p>Michael elbows him raising both eyebrows suggestively. "Not yet, right?"</p><p>Evan denies doing his best to ignore the tingling in his body. "Just think about it, why would someone like Connor be with the assistants?"</p><p>"Because he's the son of a villain, Evan, you can't teach him the same as a hero."</p><p>"Wouldn't it be easier just not to let him into school?" Jeremy comments. Looks are directed at him because of course, he actually has a point. "Evan is right, there are things that don't make sense, like, why is Zoe in the hero class? Why not expel Connor? Or just why not make their schedules not match if they were concerned that Will they fight again? "</p><p>"I think we're thinking a lot about something that doesn't matter," Jared mutters. "Maybe it's just the puberty changes in people with powers, maybe Connor did something evil last year and that's why he's in our class, and I don't know, maybe Mr. Marvin was high, what does it matter?"</p><p>Nobody says anything for a few minutes, everyone seems to be thinking about something, it doesn't even matter if it's something they've been talking about since they arrived or if it's something else, about how Jared is probably hurt that Christine ended up rejecting him, or if it's Michael thinking about how to invite Jeremy or Jeremy deciding between inviting Michael or waiting for him to invite him. Evan keeps thinking about Zoe and Connor, and everything that is happening at school until someone knocks on the door causing everyone to snap out of their thoughts, that's when they realize how quiet the house was. Michael is the one who gets up to open the door under the watchful eye of the three boys.</p><p>"M-MURPHY?" Jared watches Evan in shock when he peeks out a bit and sees that Connor Murphy is outside his house. The boy moves his mouth forming the phrase 'I told you so' a million times. Everyone runs to the door with Michael, Evan pushes them to the front, making his face almost collide with Connor's neck in the movement.</p><p>"Hi," Evan says with a smiling sigh.</p><p>"Hi," Connor responds in kind, then clears his throat when he remembers Evan's friends are there. "My godmother sent me to deliver this to you." Connor holds out a bag with a few boxes of Chinese food. "Yesterday she recognized your name as a regular and said this is always your order, or whatever."</p><p>He receives the bag and holds it against his stomach. "Thank you... both of you for this." Connor shrugs his shoulders dismissing it. Jeremy clears his throat behind them. "Oh yeah, guys, Connor works on the Rice Paper."</p><p>Jared is about to hit Connor with an interrogation about why he's at Evan's house and whether he hypnotized the adorable woman who tended the restaurant to poison his food, but Michael intervenes unaware of Jared's intentions and interrupts him. "Do you know what they put in rice to make it so good? I doubt it's real paper."</p><p>Connor shakes his head and contrary to what Evan hopes is a bad word, he actually smiles. "Family secret." Connor makes a movement imitating a clasp and pretends to throw a key to the side. Michael pouts a little and Evan steps aside to invite Connor inside. "Thanks, but it doesn't seem like all your friends agree with that. I have to get back to work anyway."</p><p>The three-wave Connor goodbye with a wave of the hand, while Jared crosses his arms and refuses to bond with Connor Murphy.</p><p>"I assure you, he's planning something and he's behind all this shit." Michael is the one who turns his back on her this time.</p><p>"Close your mouth and come eat."</p><p> </p><p>The next time his friends get together at his house, Connor is also invited and it's surprising how well he seems to fit in for something like the first time, at least officially where they are together.</p><p>As it was obvious and technically no one thought it would be any different, Connor and Jared seem to argue about everything, not in the way that Jared argues with Jeremy just to disagree with him, or that passionate way in which he argues with Michael about the last chapter. of a series that they are watching on Netflix. But it's fun to see someone capable of making Jared shut his mouth for once.</p><p>Connor also seems to put up with Michael and Jeremy seems to be the one with the most. Probably because they are similar in style, however, Jeremy only looks like the emo guy from some 2009 series and Connor looks more like a biker who's too cool to fit in between the boring white curtains and brown couches at the house. Evan.</p><p>But for whatever reason, Evan can't figure out what Connor is like around him. He is not as laid back as with Michael, but he is not as severe as with Jared and that confuses him. Does Connor at least like him?</p><p>The screams get louder when Jeremy loses again at the same level of 'Apocalypse of the Damned' and Jared is yelling at him about the tactics he has to do to dodge the main enemy of the level. "Do a damn combo, hit the X, it's not too difficult, man."</p><p>"Shut your mouth, you idiot," Jeremy says.</p><p>Connor rolls his eyes when Michael gets into the argument between Jared and Jeremy and leans into Evan's ear to ask if they are always like this. Evan blushes and his heart seems to drop to his stomach abruptly just like he imagines going down the curve of a roller coaster.</p><p>"Only when we play this, it's been a few weeks since we tried to get past this level. I'm not very good at this anyway."</p><p>Connor's gaze is on Jeremy when he asks, "Are Heere and Mell dating?"</p><p>"Why do you ask?" Evan's gaze goes to Jeremy, a different feeling settling in his stomach. <em>Is it jealousy, Hansen?</em> Asks a voice in his head.</p><p>"Because they look like a stupid old couple arguing with their forty-year-old son who hasn't left home," Connor whispers.</p><p>"Yeah, that- they seem to like it." Evan nods. "Mika likes Jeremy, but I don't know if... Jeremy likes Michael."</p><p>Connor watches the duo for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I wouldn't worry too much, they obviously like each other."</p><p>"You seem... you seem very confident about that always, is your power of a cupid kind?" To his surprise, Connor gives him a toothy smile while shaking his head making his hair flutter.</p><p>"I know when people are in love, do you have any idea how many couples in love come to the restaurant? Hundreds." Connor's arm is resting on the back of the chair just behind Evan.</p><p>"Have you ever... ever fallen in love and been reciprocated?" Evan asks without looking at anything specific, wishing two seconds later that Connor hadn't heard his stupid question.</p><p>"People like me don't fall in love to be reciprocated," he murmurs, his fingers curled around the hem of his jacket.</p><p>"So it seems that we are the same..."</p><p>"What are you talking about, Hansen?"</p><p>Evan shrugs his shoulders with a nervous little smile. "I don't think anyone will ever fall in love with... me."</p><p>Michael screams when he is killed again and Jared keeps talking about a combo with X that must be done only at the precise moment when the horde of Zombies are surrounding the protagonists of the game.</p><p>"I don't think that's true," Connor's face is as red as a tomato. "You may not have realized it yet, but you are... really handsome."</p><p>The unsupervised boys night out by adults ends too soon for everyone's liking and it's time to go home. Except for Michael who waits for his mothers to come for him to go with Evan and Heidi to the LGBTPAS meeting.</p><p>"You and Connor seem to have something special."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Michael pokes a rib with his index finger.</p><p>"The way they look at each other, it seems like he really likes you." Evan denies it because that cannot be possible. Connor is way beyond the reach of someone like Evan, and he doesn't even want to get his hopes up. "Have you talked to Zoe?"</p><p>"I think she's been avoiding me, every time I try to talk to her it's like I don't exist," he sighs sadly.</p><p>"Maybe she's just trying to adapt, you know, survive this shit."</p><p>"Do you need to pretend that I don't exist for that?" Michael pats him on the back with one hand.</p><p>"She's ignoring us too... I don't know what's wrong with her, she's not like that."</p><p>A car horn sounds outside the Hansen home. The two boys grab their jackets that are hanging on the coat rack near the front door.</p><p>"High school sucks."</p><p>"Hey," says Michael stopping him with a grip on the shoulders. "Remember, guys like us are cool in college." Evan smiles.</p><p>Maybe he doesn't have his best friend, and school sucks, but he has Michael, Jared, Jeremy, and more recently, Connor as well and it might all be fine.</p><p>"Yeah, guys like us don't even go to college."</p><p>"You know what my point is, man, don't screw it up."</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Black air and seven seas are rotten through, but what can you do?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"No, no, no. Stop there for two seconds." Jared waves his hands facing the two of them. "Are you going to the homecoming dance? Together? What about me?"</p><p>"You can come with us." Jeremy tilts his head. That seems to be enough to bottom out on Jared's pride.</p><p>"Sure, because I, Jared Kleinman, am a loser who goes to the homecoming dance on a double date without a partner." Connor rolls his eyes. Holds the strap of his backpack tightly.</p><p>"Then don't go with us," Connor says and that's much worse.</p><p>"And being the loser who didn't go to the dance?"</p><p>Michael groans. "What do you expect us to do?"</p><p>"I don't know, man, but a little support could do me good." Jared twists his lips.</p><p>Evan steps away from Connor for two seconds and puts a hand on Jared's shoulder with the intention of giving him his support. "Let's just go to the dance for a bit and then we can go to my house, you can stay over for the night, yeah - if your parents agree to that..."</p><p>Jared smiles at him before wrapping an arm around Evan's neck to ruffle his hair by rubbing his knuckles against Evan's head. "That's why you are my favorite friend, Evan the man."</p><p>And now it's Jeremy's turn to roll his eyes.</p><p>Things get a bit out of control at Sky High and in Evan's life. Veronica Sawyer, who until a few days ago was his friend, now rubs shoulders with the Heathers, Christine is still dating Jake and Mr. Marvin has started acting strange. "Even more than normal," would say Mr. Whizzer who looks more down than before and no longer lifts his chin when Marvin appears at his door, he simply lowers his gaze and never allows eye contact with the other man.</p><p>As for Evan, Zoe still doesn't speak to any of her old friends, while Connor has become a constant in their group, he eats lunch with them every afternoon, and when he has free time he hangs out with the boys. Connor adds a new rhythm, but to the luck of Evan who hates the changes, nothing feels different, in fact, it's as if they are finally complete, although they are not because Zoe is still out of contact.</p><p>One day, however, at the end of Mr. Whizzer's class, Connor doesn't go out with them, he tells them that he'll catch up with them later because he needs to talk to Mr. Whizzer about some important matters that obviously aroused the curiosity among the four teenagers.</p><p>"Do you think Connor is taking advanced classes to move on to the third year?" Jared asks, putting a couple of candies in his mouth, Michael clicks his tongue.</p><p>Evan's stomach twists at the idea, the problem with changes in routine and new habits is that when they are over it hurts.</p><p>And lately, Connor was such an expendable variable in the equation that Evan's life was that he couldn't imagine not having him in the same classes, especially since Connor had started brushing his fingers over Evan's hands when they were walking shoulder to shoulder or when they met in a house to see a movie or a Freaks and Geeks marathon to have a discussion about each character and each chapter.</p><p>"The best character is Nick," says Michael all the time. "He's funny."</p><p>"I prefer Daniel," Jared shrugs. "A cool guy, like me." Jeremy snorts and laughs. Jared tosses him a popcorn.</p><p>Connor usually didn't raise his voice that much, at least not when they were in a group, but everyone knew he would fight anyone if someone dared to say that Bill wasn't the best character. Evan liked Bill but considered Sam to be a bit more of his style.</p><p>For his part, Connor was generally pleased by his Bionic Woman impersonation, Evan found Connor laughing all the time at that scene, but he always had the show cut off before the scene where Lindsay throws eggs at his brother, Sam.</p><p>Sometimes Evan thought of himself as Sam and Lindsay as Zoe, maybe she was just trying to fit in as much as anyone else, as Michael had said a few weeks ago. "It's normal that she wants to be with cool people, and we ... are not those people."</p><p>"Speak for yourself, Mell," Jared responds mockingly, but it hurts him as much as anyone else.</p><p>It's Friday afternoon, the class with Mr. Whizzer ended a few minutes ago, and everyone is too busy pretending school doesn't exist anymore to waste another second in a classroom. After the whole weekend was around the corner and the dance was only a week away, everyone was going crazy.</p><p>"Come on Evan?" Jeremy calls him picking up his backpack and hanging it over his shoulders, the boys are in the hall, unlike Connor who is sitting with Professor Whizzer at his desk. "It's getting late."</p><p>"Yeah, I-"</p><p>Evan's project falls to the ground and he has to pick it up muttering things like 'I'm an idiot'. It was a simple thing, a model of the city with the most important access points for a hero in the event of an attack in the city center, but it had cost him at least three days of work and it was sad to see his end in less two seconds.</p><p>"Ugh, I think I'll catch up with you later," Connor was already by his side helping him sort everything out. The three teens attended before heading down the aisles in the direction of the bus. "Thank you..."</p><p>"It's not a problem." The two already face to face when Connor realizes that he has to go back to Professor Whizzer.</p><p>"How were classes, Hansen?" Mr. Whizzer asks, stretching on his desk, he rarely addresses him, he generally avoids him because of his nervous and uncomfortable personality. Or so Evan thinks.</p><p>"Well the classes have been great ... everything is- uh, interesting."</p><p>"And that's not the best part! Wait for the second year, I'm sure you will love Miss Cordelia's class."</p><p>"Isn't she the master of strategy for heroes?" Connor asks, arms crossed. Mr. Whizzer puts on a funny expression like he's planning a prank or hiding an incredibly funny secret.</p><p>"Yeah, but she doesn't limit her classes to heroes and support heroes, she doesn't like all the separation shit." Evan had never heard Mr. Whizzer speak like that, he usually presented himself in his elegant manner, usually smug, but always with his toothy smile.</p><p>"That's only if they decide I can make it through the year," Connor mutters angrily, Mr. Whizzer leans back in his chair and unlike Evan expected, he just wrinkles his nose.</p><p>"They will, you can always burn down the school if they fail you again."</p><p>Evan's eyes widen, his first instinct was to look at Connor, hope he would get mad and if they were on a losing streak, he would even fight the professor.</p><p>"Shut your mouth, you fucking old man." Whizzer shows him the middle finger. Okay, everything is being too strange. "Come on, Evan, or you'll miss your bus."</p><p>"Mmh? Oh yeah, yeah, right." Evan adjusts the strap of the backpack on his shoulder before starting to follow Connor out of the room. The two say goodbye to the teacher who nods smiling.</p><p>The hallways are weird with no people around, and for once Evan can walk right through them without worrying about getting hit as soon as he turns the next corner. Although that didn't happen very often since Connor was in their group, Jake and Rich hardly looked at them, but they always did so with hatred towards Connor, who apparently struck both of their pride when he defeated them in Save the Citizen.</p><p>"Looks like the bus has already left," Connor whispers when they arrive at the school entrance, as are the hallways, everything is deserted, except for a couple of the teachers' cars and Connor's motorcycle. "I can take it."</p><p>"I don't want to bother you." Connor rolls his eyes.</p><p>"Well, unless you can fly I don't see how you'll get there." Right, he had a point, Evan's face was painted a bright red color.</p><p>"I'm sorry if you could take me I'd appreciate it, Connor." The boy nods and they both walk towards the parking lot. There's only one helmet and Connor hands it to Evan for him to take it.</p><p>"I forgot you had that," Connor points to the mockup that keeps Evan's hands occupied. "Come, let me put your helmet on."</p><p>Connor was an inch taller, Evan already knew that, but he never thought that if they were close enough, the tip of his nose could touch his chest perfectly. Connor's scent was a strange combination of orange, hair conditioner, and oil. It was a bit gripping.</p><p>"Ready, go up." Connor was the first to get on the bike, the leather jacket matched the bike very well, they gave Connor that movie biker look. Evan felt silly about his stupid khaki pants and blue wool shirt.</p><p>"Uh, I ... I don't- I don't know how to get on this thing." Evan's face flushed again, Connor looked at him puzzled for a couple of seconds before nodding and reaching his hand out to the boy. He was glad she didn't laugh at him.</p><p>"Put your leg over here and I'll help give you a boost." Evan followed Connor's instructions and was finally on the bike. "Great, uh ... now you must hold onto me, so uh ... if you don't want to fall, of course."</p><p>He did as Connor directed and wrapped his arms around Connor's waist. He tried as hard as he could not bring his chest closer to his back in case Connor could feel how fast his heart was beating.</p><p>Before the motorcycle was started, Mr. Whizzer ran off to stop Connor. He grimaced and the professor approached them.</p><p>"The school called, I need you to pick up Jason." Whizzer looked upset and defeated at the same time. "I won't be able to leave until four."</p><p>"Something bad happened?" The man shakes his head.</p><p>"Some guys took his chessboard from him and he tried to hit them. They hit him."</p><p>"Well, Evan, do you mind if ...?" He quickly denied. Whoever Jason was more important, Evan figured he was some friend of both of them.</p><p>The ride was pretty quick, Connor's hair was a bit annoying flying towards him, but he was able to enjoy the sweet scent of hair conditioner.</p><p>They stopped in front of a public school, there was only one child at the entrance. He had curly brown hair and was so thin and lanky that it reminded him of Jeremy. The boy had frozen juice on his cheek. Evan removed his helmet so Connor could give it to him. He didn't know how they would go back to being three on the motorcycle.</p><p>"Who's he?" Jason asks pointing at Evan. It looks even smaller with the helmet on.</p><p>"Evan, a ... friend from school," Connor responds by helping the boy up, right in front of Connor.</p><p>"Oh, that Evan then." Evan can feel Connor's body tense. A sense of guilt settles in Evan's chest. Could it be that Connor doesn't like him at all? "Come on, I want to watch TV."</p><p>The house they arrive at is quite nice, a nice garden a little neglected, but it is nothing that has no solution and a nice combination of blue colors on the facade. The boy runs off and enters the house.</p><p>"Do you want to come in?" Connor asks biting his lower lip, Evan nods a bit embarrassed. "Oh, ignore anything Jason says, he never closes his mouth."</p><p>"He seems like a good kid."</p><p>"He is, but he's still a demon."</p><p>The house inside is much prettier, it is a bit messy in the living room area where there are an Xbox and a colorful rug and a lot of Lego that doesn't match the rest of the fancy furniture.</p><p>"It is your house?" Evan asks. Connor shrugs his shoulders in agreement. The boy flops onto the couch and pats the spot next to him for Evan to sit down.</p><p>Jason shows up with three glasses of orange juice and hands one to Evan and one to Connor.</p><p>"Uh, thanks."</p><p>"You didn't ask Evan if he wanted that."</p><p>"It's the only thing to drink, you finished the milk," Jason responds in the calmest, commanding tone I've ever seen. He reminded Evan of Professor Marvin.</p><p>"What happened?" Connor asks. Jason flops into the other chair.</p><p>"It's none of your business."</p><p>"It is if Evan and I have to pick you up from school." Jason moves his lips before nodding.</p><p>"They took away my chessboard, said I was stupid for playing alone and that I looked like an autistic jerk, just like... like her."</p><p>"Oh, 'she', okay." Connor is silent for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Did you hit them for her?"</p><p>"She got mad about that... and they beat me, I couldn't hit anyone."</p><p>Evan watches the pair, things are a bit confusing, and he assumes that Jason must be his brother.</p><p>"Maybe you should apologize to her, and maybe one day you'll tell me her name when you get together." Jason looks at Connor with a red face and a frown. He was ashamed.</p><p>"She doesn't-" He says before disappearing.</p><p>"It's a bit special, things have been a bit... strange around here."</p><p>"Okay, at his age I didn't speak at all." Evan shrugs. "Is he... is he your brother?"</p><p>"Well no, not like that, Whizzer always says yes, but it's Whizzer, Jason doesn't even call him dad."</p><p>"Whizzer? Like, Mr. Whizzer?"</p><p>Connor bites his lower lip. "Yes, I live here with them, Whizzer, Marvin, and Jason." That takes Evan by surprise. "Er, Whizzer took me in here when I was twelve, he's Marvin's boyfriend, he's divorced, Jason has separated parents, but he says he doesn't care as long as there are nice gifts." Evan laughs and Connor imitates him.</p><p>"So you grew up together after all?"</p><p>"Yes, he was six years old when I arrived, he was calmer, Whizzer made him a spoiled and sarcastic beast." Evan nods with a smile. He always wanted a brother.</p><p>"Was that because of your father...?" The silence is a bit awkward and Evan is about to apologize that that obviously doesn't concern him, but Connor seems to want to talk.</p><p>"Yes, but it's not because of what everyone says, actually he ... he was a hero, he worked with my mother and they fell in love or whatever, then there was a mission, maybe you heard about the bombs that were being planted in any area with children. "Evan nodded, they saw that in history. "My father took care of that, but he passed away, two bombs exploded, some people died... and yes, they blamed him for being some kind of kamikaze or whatever, my mother married a man who did not want the son from another and when they had their own daughter they sent me to live with my godmother, then I met Whizzer. " Connor cleared his throat. Evan held Connor's hands between his fingers and they stayed that way for a few seconds.</p><p>"More homosexuals in this house?" Jason asks as he builds a Lego figure. They didn't realize when he got there.</p><p>"Shut your mouth, you stinky Gremlin." Jason smiles.</p><p>The days in Evan Hansen's life start to include Connor at all hours, and a part of him says it's because somehow Connor talking about his father with him made him feel more confident, but he felt like he still owed him. something, as if the exchange of secrets were necessary for their coexistence.</p><p>And so Evan decided that he was going to tell her about his father and his broken arm.</p><p>Jeremy was going to the dance with Michael, in the end, they decided to go all as a group to accompany Jared. Of course, Michael didn't stop talking about how his mothers had lent him the van to take them all, he even mentioned something about how since everyone went in a group they should combine their suits.</p><p>However, Jared still looked a bit annoyed but tried his best not to show it.</p><p>It was during Defense class that Evan brought up the issue with Jared. Of course, he decided to use the only class that only the two of them had together. It was easier for Jared to speak if he wasn't around people.</p><p>"Does the dance bother you? We can stay at home if you prefer." Evan says while holding a punching bag.</p><p>"No, it's okay, I want to go with you."</p><p>"But something is bothering you... if it's about Connor-"</p><p>"What? No. I like Connor, it's just... Christine and that, you know and I guess I wanted to have the full experience with slow dancing and everything, I know I sound like Michael, but yeah I'm a ridiculous corny man. "</p><p>"It's not ridiculous, I... som-sometimes we want that and it's okay I guess..."</p><p>"You like Connor, right?" A mischievous grin crossed Jared's face.</p><p>"Me? No, no, it's- it's Connor never me, he never… no."</p><p>"Don't try to deny it, Hansen, little Evan points in little Connor's direction all the time." Evan's face turned red when Jared put his hand up to his crotch and extended a finger. "Peep, peep, peep."</p><p>"Jared, shut your mouth!" Evan put both hands over his ears. Jared laughed.</p><p>"Don't deny it with me, mate."</p><p>"So... everything okay?"</p><p>Jared's shoulders sagged.</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>At recess, Jared is nowhere to be found and when Jeremy asks everyone says he left school with Rich Goranski. Of course, everyone abandons their lunches and goes out to search for them. That asshole could be doing something terrible to his friend.</p><p>But there is no sign of Jared until the end of the day and he says nothing happened to worry about, they just ripped him off with four hundred dollars. Jeremy sharpens his gaze.</p><p>They all meet at Evan's house to do their Flight History and Physics homework. Heidi left him a couple of dollars to pay for the Chinese food that Connor would bring directly from The Rice Paper. Of course, Heidi liked Connor, even though they had only spoken to each other three times, they seemed to have a nice chemistry. It was to be expected, everyone loved Heidi and Connor was pretty sweet if you didn't push him, and Heidi never pushed, so yeah, it was natural for things to work out between them.</p><p>"Is a perfect landing related to the length of the hero's cape?" Michael asks reading the book.</p><p>"No, but capes are stupid," Connor responds, Jeremy nods wisely.</p><p>"Batman looks mysterious."</p><p>"But it is also ridiculously dangerous," Jeremy alleges.</p><p>"It's Batman, danger is his middle name." They retaliate against Michael and Jared. Jeremy rolls his eyes.</p><p>"Is it better to clean your hero's boots before he goes flying?" Evan reads the next question.</p><p>"Why would I have to clean his boots?" Jared complains, Connor supports him. "Because heroes are stupid spoiled children."</p><p>The atmosphere is tense because of Jared's extreme attitude, but nobody says anything, the school has been horrible since everything changed. People who used to be friends with them now tease them in the hallways, including Veronica Sawyer joining the Heathers to play pranks on Jared and Jeremy when they came back from the bathroom. So Evan tries to give him his moment and his space to vent everything that has him in a bad mood.</p><p>"Ugh... If your hero loses his weapon, what is the best replacement for-</p><p>"No." Jared stands up. "Shit, I'm fed up, if my fucking hero is a jerk who can't do anything on his own then he's not a hero."</p><p>"Where are you going?" Jeremy asks angrily. Jared is angrily gathering his things. He even hits Evan with the sleeve of his sweater when he pulls it hard.</p><p>"It's none of your business, Jeremy."</p><p>"No? We're friends and you're acting stupid, honestly what the hell?" Jared snorts with a bitter laugh.</p><p>"You know what's up? Everybody sees me as inferior, look at Zoe who even stopped talking to us and her stupid father thinks we are not enough for his cute little daughter. School sucks and I'm just tired."</p><p>"Jared, calm down." Michael chimes in annoyed at how he spoke to Jeremy.</p><p>"I'm not going to calm down, you don't know how people see you as a waste and a-"</p><p>"I don't know? Here?" He asks but does not want an answer. His blood boils. "Shut up your garbage, Kleinman. All people see in me is a drug addict, an immigrant, and a jerk who only shines like a child's nightlight. I have two mothers and I'm gay, don't talk to me about what he's like. be seen as scum." Jared takes a step back. No one had seen Michael angry, he is not one to get angry, he is one to cry, perhaps, but never one to get angry. Jeremy walks over to Michael and takes him by the shoulder to relax him.</p><p>It seems like that's all for Jared to walk out the door with a big bang at the end. Silence sits on them, in the end, Michael and Jeremy say goodbye and leave Evan's house just like Jared, however, Michael no longer looks upset, he looks sad and Jeremy looks somewhat disappointed.</p><p>"Are you sure you will be okay?" Evan asks in the doorway.</p><p>"I can take you home if you want." Connor shyly suggests. If things weren't the way they are now, Evan would be amused. Connor Murphy sorry for a bunch of Support Heroes. The world was very funny.</p><p>"No thanks, we're fine, I think we just need to distract ourselves a bit."</p><p>"Thanks for the afternoon, it's always good to spend with you." Michael shrugs.</p><p>"Same, good night." The pair walk away waving their hands in farewell.</p><p>Now it's just Connor and Evan, their mother should be home in a couple of hours.</p><p>Not much to say, at least nothing that crosses Evan's mind, they had never had a fight like that. At least not since Zoe, but that seemed more like her and Evan's affair, nothing against the boys. The image of Jeremy's disappointed look was still vividly drawn in Evan's mind. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Jeremy to argue like that with his best friend. Even seeing Michael, whom he had known since the world first shone, being so angry was something to be surprised about.</p><p>Something strange was definitely going on and maybe Zoe was also being a victim of this.</p><p>"I think I should go too," Connor says standing up, but Evan's hand quickly holds up his forearm to stop him. "Something wrong?"</p><p>"Remember...?" Evan has to lick his parched lips before proceeding properly. "Do you remember when you told me about your father?" Connor nods silently. "I- I'd like to tell you about my father if that ... if that doesn't bother you."</p><p>So Evan tells Connor Murphy about that summer when his father left the house and abandoned them both forever with the occasional letter, at least until he was eleven years old and the letters never arrived again.</p><p>"Have you ever thought that maybe he's been here the whole time thinking they're playing hide and seek?" Evan laughs and is thankful that Connor joked to lighten the mood, Evan realizes that he had somehow started crying at some point in the story.</p><p>"I hope you didn't see me sing the Alexander Hamilton parts, I'd be very embarrassed if someone heard my horrible voice."</p><p>Connor shrugged. "I like your voice, it's cute." Evan blushes and he doesn't make a move. "About my stepdad... well, uh, I guess I can tell you the truth, like, the whole truth."</p><p>"Uh, yeah, if that's what you want yeah, you can- you can tell me what you want, yeah." Connor takes a deep breath.</p><p>"His name is Larry Murphy," a hole formed in Evan's stomach. "He gave me his last name when uh... mom met him a few months after my father, I guess she convinced him to give me his last name to separate me from my father's name, obviously it didn't work, we look a lot alike," Connor He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple rising, highlighting how thin and sharp the features were on his face. "I grew up with them until I was seven, and then they found out that my power was the same as my father's, and that I... I like boys."</p><p>A minute of silence feels like an eternity right now, but Connor seems to need to breathe before continuing.</p><p>"They sent me to a mental hospital, my godmother, an old friend of my father took me out of there, I met Whizzer when he lived with the Murphys, Larry always... he left him when he discovered that he- well, he is too gay for his mental health." An awkward laugh comes from Connor's lips. "He took me to live with his family, you know that with Jason and Marvin... and uh, I have to see Cynthia once at the table to get a financial pension."</p><p>"That's why you were there that time..." Evan whispers to himself out loud, Connor hears him though.</p><p>"Yes, but she always says that I can access that money until I am of legal age." Connor's shoulders sag, playing with the pile of bracelets on his pale arms.</p><p>"Then you're... gay?" Connor stiffens in place, too still, like he's scared. And again that ironic voice that is life laughs in his mind.</p><p>"Yes," he swallows heavily. "I hope that doesn't bother you..."</p><p>Evan understands why and is quick to deny and muttering nonsense.</p><p>"I'm bisexual, I'm completely fine with you being gay, Michael is too." Evan doesn't mention the LGBTPAS.</p><p>"Great ..." Connor lowers his head and seems to be blushing which is understandable, he had just told her very personal things, or so Evan assumed.</p><p>"So ... Zoe-"</p><p>"I've never called her my sister or whatever, Jason is my only brother."</p><p>"Okay, I like Jason."</p><p>"He likes you too, he kept talking about you at dinner." They both laugh, Evan more embarrassed than ever.</p><p>Connor has to go home an hour later, apparently, Marvin, Jason's father was acting very weird, he even packed his things and went to live in a hotel in the city. Jason was the most affected and would not stop playing chess by himself despite the offers of Whizzer or Connor to play with him.</p><p>And even though Evan knows he's a bit selfish, the conversation with Connor makes him feel so much better, something changes that night.</p><p>"Dad, if you're hiding here... go away, I'm not going to keep looking for you."</p><p> </p><p>The next morning he doesn't have classes with Jared, yet he does match Michael and Connor in the Assistant's Equipment Guide class.</p><p>And there's no word on Jared until lunch when, to everyone's surprise, he's sitting next to Veronica Sawyer who's kissing him to the excited screams of the Heathers.</p><p>"Yesterday he was calling them spoiled children and now he's sucking their faces," Jeremy snorts, pecking his salad hard, Michael also looks annoyed and Evan feels uncomfortable.</p><p>"I didn't even know he liked her," Michael says.</p><p>"It doesn't, something is happening." All eyes leave Jared and focus on Connor. As always, he is not eating anything.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Evan asks.</p><p>"Take a good look, Veronica Sawyer, Christine Canigula, Marvin, and now Jared, didn't he disappear yesterday to go out with Rich?" Jeremy nods slowly as if he's thinking things through too carefully.</p><p>"Evan, do you remember Veronica had some kind of attack on the bus a week ago?" Evan nods.</p><p>"She was screaming, we all freaked out, and- uhm... then the Heathers thing happened." A gleam fills Michael's eyes.</p><p>"Isn't that the same as when we went to Mr. Marvin and he was a little defensive?" Michael lays his theory on the table, Connor's gaze wandering for a few seconds before nodding.</p><p>"Something is going on and Rich Goranski has to be involved. Let's follow the leads, Veronica was a friend of Martha, right?" They all agree.</p><p>"What about Zoe?" Evan asks, still hoping that if their minds were being washed, she too was a victim.</p><p>"I don't know, Evan... she changed even before all this happened," Michael mutters. Connor's hand rests on Evan's knee and a chill runs through him.</p><p>"But we cannot reject the odds, we have to help our friends," Evan says, he doesn't stutter, there isn't even a doubt in his words.</p><p>That somehow seems to motivate his friends because Jeremy takes the reins as a leader and says:</p><p>"I'll take care of Jared and Christine, Michael you talk to Martha about Veronica." Michael nods with a military salute. "Connor, you with Professor Marvin and Evan, see what you can find out from Zoe."</p><p>"We can meet at my house to discuss the results." Everyone gives Evan an approving nod.</p><p>The only thing everyone has in mind at that moment is to get their friends back and find out what Rich Goranski is up to.</p><p>As they had agreed, they all set out to find answers to solve this whole matter. Jeremy confronted Jared in one of the hallways and things ended in a physical fight that left one of his friends with a black eye and probably a broken heart. Michael for his part decided to play spy with Veronica Sawyer and methodically interviewed Martha asking for even the smallest detail. Evan found out that Zoe was planning a party for tonight and he set out to show up to observe the behavior of Zoe's friends, especially Rich.</p><p>Connor on the other hand was a bit nervous, anyone could have ignored him, Evan even believed that it was just his ideas, but he was definitely afraid of the results of facing Marvin after a few weeks.</p><p>"I don't know how he's going to react, last time he yelled at Whizzer that he… that he destroyed his relationship with Tina and that," Connor gulped. They were in history class, the teacher wasn't paying attention, they were supposed to write an essay on the Teen Heroes treaty signed in 1978. "Technically he told him that he destroyed his family."</p><p>Evan ran a hand over Connor's back in a vague attempt to comfort him. These things had become very common between them, the touch, the closeness, the trust, if Connor wasn't Connor, Evan would even dare to believe that he liked him.</p><p>But that was just a dream, Evan could never be with someone like Connor Murphy. That was an unwritten law.</p><p>"When we fix this everything will be back to normal, Connor."</p><p>Connor smiled at him. "I hope so, Evan."</p><p>The last time Evan went to a party at Murphy's house was for Zoe's birthday, he didn't even push himself on what he should wear, he just put on the most elegant clothes, the ones he usually wore too big holidays. A pair of pastel blue corduroy pants and a cream turtleneck shirt.</p><p>However, this was a party of teenagers, mostly bullies. The idea of appearing dressed as a child going to church didn't seem like a good idea, but places with too many people made him nervous, especially if they had all pushed him in the hallways at least once.</p><p>Suddenly this no longer seemed like a good idea.</p><p>Connor's defeated voice rang out in his head, aren't you going to at least try? For me? For my family?</p><p>Evan knows he's selfish, that he should think about Jared or Veronica or Christine, but he couldn't say no to Connor.</p><p>You can hear the music in the Murphy house and you can almost imagine what a mess there must be in that place. It's not like people like Rich or Jake are considerate of other people's houses.</p><p>Evan ultimately decides on the same old blue shirt and a pair of gray pants. He makes sure to bring everything he needs to get out of the house and rushes to Zoe's house.</p><p>As he imagined, everything was a disaster, there were teenagers doing all kinds of stupid things outside the house and inside it was no better. They had even broken a vase that Evan swore had been there for at least five years.</p><p>He walks among the people who dance to the rhythm of Britney Spears, some elbows hit him in the stomach and sometimes he even bumps into a couple who are sharing a kiss in the middle of the dance floor.</p><p>Evan takes a breath when he starts to feel anxious and reminds himself that he has to do this for his friends, and all he has on his mind is helping Zoe.</p><p>Never had it been so long without them speaking to each other, but now, there was nothing but a few frictions in the hallways. And she was barely looking at him as if seeing him was repulsive.</p><p>Rich Goranski appears in his field of vision, has his hair styled in a different way, and is next to Martha Dunnstock who looks at him doubtfully, she obviously doesn't trust him, but still accepts a pill that he hands her right after she spread some dollars towards him. He doesn't think about it too much before passing the pill to his mouth, Rich hands him a Mountain Drew that he uses to swallow the pill.</p><p>At first, nothing seems to be happening until Martha starts screaming writhing on the floor. The loud sound of music prevents you from hearing it.</p><p>Evan's brain makes a quick connection of events, Rich was definitely behind this. He had to-</p><p>"Evan!" A hand rests on his shoulder. He turns quickly, recognizing the voice.</p><p>"Connor, what are you doing here?" Connor's smile falls when he makes a gesture that he can't hear him. Evan and his stupid two-decibel voice.</p><p>Connor looks both ways until he ends up taking Evan's hand to guide him to a room upstairs, it's the guest room, he slept there thousands of times.</p><p>"Better," Connor mutters, closing the door with the latch.</p><p>"What are you doing here?"</p><p>"I wanted to see you, I knew you were coming."</p><p>"I was supposed to come alone, we agreed on that." Connor nods smiling.</p><p>"I didn't want to leave you alone," Connor shrugs and walks over to him. Evan's body shakes.</p><p>"I'm fine."</p><p>"I know," Connor whispers into Evan's ear, he smells his hair and Evan closes his eyes feeling the heat of Connor's body inches from his own body. "But don't you want to do something more... fun?"</p><p>"Wh-what do you mean?" Evan's voice comes out in a barely perceptible whisper. Connor giggles, but for some reason, it doesn't sound like Connor, none of this sounds like Connor.</p><p>"I know you like me, Evan." Connor pushes him to the bed and his heart is pounding, he doesn't know what's going on. Connor licks his lips and sits on his lap, alarms going off in Evan's body. He pushes Connor out of his mind.</p><p>"Stop, Connor, p-please, please stop!" The tears are accentuated in Evan's eyes, his voice comes out brittle. He's scared.</p><p>"Why? Isn't this what fags as you want? Don't they always want to be fucked?" Evan feels his body go weak, his throat itches like he's holding back vomit. "Or are you just using me to forget about Zoe? Can't you just accept that she doesn't want you in her life? She threw a party and she didn't invite you. She didn't invite any of you queer assistants."</p><p>Evan pushes Connor aside and runs off as best he can, not caring about the looks on him. He just wants to run away from that place and not go back there.</p><p>That thing was definitely not Connor, it couldn't be Connor, he didn't speak that way, he didn't even use to laugh like that.</p><p>He is surprised when he finds the real Connor outside his house, sitting on the sidewalk playing with his cell phone in the dark, he looks up as soon as he sees Evan appear and stands up as fast as possible when he sees the tears in the boy's eyes.</p><p>He doesn't ask anything, he just draws him in for a hug, Evan sobs loudly on the boy's chest before entering the house.</p><p>Connor would never love him, but he was glad to know that the real Connor would never treat him that way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. I saw the world crashing around your face, so I'll stop the world and melt with you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeremy denies. "It's not true, we have a plan. If you want to listen to us..."</p><p>Connor and Evan meet eyes and nod. "If Evan is inside me too."</p><p>Michael gives Evan a quick glance accompanied by a smile that doesn't go unnoticed by him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Have you ever thought of studying college like the... like people without powers?" Connor asks putting a hand over his mouth trying to hide his own anxiety. The sound of the television stops for Evan at that moment. His mind starts to race, he's been trying to stay sane since Connor came home from work and decided that sitting very, very close to Evan was the best option. And, if Evan walked away, Connor would think he disliked him, and shit, he's just the opposite.</p>
<p>Then, Evan licks his lips feeling his mouth dry and his chest totally full of nonsense words.</p>
<p>"I don't know... there's nothing that interests me, I m-mean, I love trees and I already... uh, I already control that. Not because I'm being snooty or anything! it's just-"</p>
<p>"I get it, don't worry, Evan." Connor smiles at him, hitting him playfully, which relaxes Evan a bit, who nods with a shy smile at the brush of Connor's body against his.</p>
<p>"Do you- do you want to study so-something?"</p>
<p>The obvious question seems to take Connor by surprise. He frowns and wrinkles his nose, which he does whenever he's overthinking something.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he replies. "It's just... I don't see myself being very useful in the world with my powers," Evan is about to speak, but Connor denies. "I know they seem great for... for you, for some weird reason, but... they are not good for real problems, pollution, wars, murders. I want to help in some way, and I just think throwing fire like a pokemon. It's not the way. "</p>
<p>The look on Connor is different, there's a small smile that seems too painful.</p>
<p>They're lying on the sofa bed in Evan's living room, the TV is on with some background show they've been ignoring (because Evan is never too focused with Connor around, if he wants to be honest). It's almost nine at night and Evan's mom must be on her way to work, if it's a good day and there hasn't been a last minute accident.</p>
<p>The right words are never in Evan's head when he needs them, and even if he did have them, making them work once they come out of his mouth is not easy to eat either. However, the best Evan can give him in that moment is his hand as a way of letting him know that he's there to support him, just as any friend would. But just before the door opens showing the petite blonde woman with a couple of bags in her hands and a frown. Connor and Evan let go of each other's hands and get to their feet as fast as possible.</p>
<p>"Hi guys."</p>
<p>Evan's heart is racing, and his cheeks are probably red.</p>
<p>But he's good at pretending, so he acts like nothing happened (because nothing really happened). "Hi Mom." Evan walks over to kiss his mother with Connor behind him ready to shake hands with Heidi. "What's all that?"</p>
<p>"I bought some things to fix Mica's mother's hair, but they sold me a red dye." The woman purses her lips. "Red! Of all the colors it had to be the one she liked the least."</p>
<p>Heidi collapses on the couch defeated and the boys follow suit. Evan holds the red dye packet between his fingers and admires it for a few seconds. "It looks like the color of your tie..." Evan mutters to Connor.</p>
<p>Heidi's eyes light up at that moment and she turns to face Connor with a smile too bright to be true. "Con, didn't you tell me you wanted to do highlights at some point?"</p>
<p>"Uh yeah, I think I mentioned it."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't you like me to try to highlight your hair?" Connor blushes and seems to back away for a moment before staring at Heidi and nodding with a shrug with a slight smile peeking between his lips.</p>
<p>"If you want to do it, that's fine with me."</p>
<p>"Oh, you'll look so handsome, darling." She claps taking all the things out of the bag. "Evan, go get my robe in the upstairs bathroom, please."</p>
<p>"Uh, yeah."</p>
<p>Connor's hair was littered with pieces of aluminum foil as he and his mother laughed at some embarrassing experiences about Evan. Like that time when his cousin convinced him that if he ate a seed, branches would grow all over his body. "Poor Evan didn't want to eat anything for hours." Evan's embarrassed face only seemed to increase Connor's curiosity and Heidi's memories. Almost like he's opening a family photo album inside his head, and it's funny because they don't have a family photo album.</p>
<p>Evan isn't surprised at how well Connor and his mother seemed to get along. If I looked at it in perspective, they seemed to be quite similar, such kind and lovable people who had been through difficult family relationships. Evan knew the heroes' opinion of his mother's family, wasted powers. As if she was Aquaman living in the desert under a rock war. And their opinion of him was no better.</p>
<p>Twenty minutes later Heidi's cell phone rings, she knows from the ringtone that it's Brenda. And Mrs. Hansen has to run to the Zoo because a chimpanzee is hurt.</p>
<p>"Evan, help Connor wash his hair, I set an alarm. Connor, you can take a shower too and remember to make the bed for you to sleep tonight. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Heidi says before heading out the door and getting into a white van with the City Zoo logo on it.</p>
<p>That leaves Connor and Evan alone when the alarm goes off and Evan has to turn it off. The two go up to the bathroom laughing because Connor decides that reminding Evan of the song he used to sing when he was three years-old is a funny thing.</p>
<p>"Can you forget that my mother said all that?" Evan asks with his face hidden in his hands. Too embarrassed to face this beautiful boy.</p>
<p>Connor denies clicking his tongue. "Unless you have the power to erase minds, I'm afraid I won't forget this until I die."</p>
<p>"Ugh." Evan huffs and opens the bathroom door. Connor walks in and begins to remove the foil from his head. "You're going to mess up everything if you do it that way."</p>
<p>"Then show me how to do it, master." Evan smiles and approaches Connor to gently remove the aluminum foil, he does so by removing one by one until there are no more and now he can wash his hair, despite the fact that there are still a few minutes until the alarm that his left behind sounds. mother.</p>
<p>"Now go over to the sink to clean this up." Connor ducks down, leaving his head at the level of the sink and Evan begins to clean up all traces of excess dye with his hands. He hands Connor a towel and he quickly dries himself off. "Will it show more when your hair dries?"</p>
<p>Connor watches himself in the mirror picking up little strands of his hair. "Yeah, maybe it's still a bit dark." Connor walks away from the mirror with a smile. "Thanks for helping me, Ev."</p>
<p>Evan nods sheepishly, somehow seeing Connor like this feels private. He doesn't realize until that moment that the boy is only wearing a short-sleeved shirt that leaves all the skin on his arms exposed, except for all the bracelets that cover his forearm.</p>
<p>"You'll look good... Connor. Not bec-because you usually look bad, because, uhm like... you- you always look good, what- what I'm trying to say is that this will look good on you like... like everything you wear, it will be a good... accessory? "</p>
<p>Connor is silent for a couple of seconds until he drops his head on Evan's shoulder.</p>
<p>"Oh..." he says surprised. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Connor doesn't respond, that upsets Evan that they already have to deal with the boy he likes resting his forehead on his own shoulder.</p>
<p>"Just give me a few seconds, please." He nods and tries his best not to get upset because the last thing he needs is for Connor to realize how fast his heart is beating right now and how red his face is. Connor's breath hits his neck and he does his best not to move. "Are you worried about the dance tomorrow?"</p>
<p>"Uh, uhm, I try not to think about it too much. The dance and all the people, and Jared... none of that." Evan didn't mention anything about the fake Connor. A giant terror grows in his stomach every time he thinks this could be the fake Connor taunting him, again. "Are you... worried?"</p>
<p>Connor denies shaking his head over Evan's shoulder. "I don't know, I don't think about it much either."</p>
<p>"Maybe we shouldn't think about that at all." Connor laughs, nodding. "Like, ignore it until we're there tomorrow and Michael keeps bringing it up."</p>
<p>A silence grows in the bathroom, no one says anything and Evan curses himself because surely he ruined everything as usual. Maybe he said something that Connor didn't like and now he's made things awkward between the two of them.</p>
<p>"Can I... can I kiss you, Evan?" Connor is looking him in the eyes, but Evan is running away from eye contact as if the simple fact that Connor saw him in the eye could betray all the mess he had unleashed inside him. "If you don't want to, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have- I'm really sorry, it wasn't- that was-"</p>
<p>Evan can see the shame on Connor's face who backs away. "Yeah..." Evan mutters with his fists on either side of his hips, holding his clothes tightly, and he doubts if he can slide his hands over Connor's hip right now. <em>And why did he say yes? Connor isn't doing anything and this was probably a joke, and Evan is waiting for the punchline that doesn't come. And he doesn't even know how to kiss, and what are you supposed to do? Where do you put your hands? And what do you do with a mouth over your mouth? Y-</em></p>
<p>And Connor is kissing him, and Evan doesn't know when Connor took him by the shoulders and pulled him closer, but for some reason he hates not being able to remember because every inch of Connor's face is something he has to admire.</p>
<p>The kiss is only a brush of lips where he doesn't know what to do. Connor has to crouch down to be at the level of his lips and he hadn't even considered that that small difference in height between them could cause that.</p>
<p>Evan's hands run up Connor's hip, just as he imagined, and he rests there feeling Connor stir under his touch, making him smile for two seconds before pulling away.</p>
<p>They're both flushed and flustered, which is not something Evan expected at all.</p>
<p>"I think I should take a shower." Connor says smiling like never before. With cheeks as red as the color of an apple, and it's amazing that he accomplished that on Connor.</p>
<p>"Uh, yeah..." Evan sighs in response and Connor smiles again.</p>
<p>"I think you should come out. Unless you want to come in with me." Evan denies more red than before and gets out of the bathroom as fast as he can.</p>
<p>"T-there are towels in that dr-drawer."</p>
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<p>The next morning Jeremy texts them and asks them to meet at Michael's house.</p>
<p>Jeremy explains the whole thing about a thing called Squip, a kind of  invention created to control people and although at first it all sounds like stupid to both of them, Michael takes it upon himself to convince them.</p>
<p>"I have a theory that Alana Beck is involved in all this. I saw her creating something in the school lab, but Jared and I were teasing some topics from the heroes classes and that shit was not included in the syllabus."</p>
<p>"And Rich is obviously the one who brought this to school, apparently he's the one who has taken it upon himself to give that to Jared and the others." Jeremy says walking across the room. "Mica and I think they will do something today at the dance."</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" Connor asks.</p>
<p>Jeremy sighs and nods at Michael. "They invited Messrs. Murphy, apparently they are guests of honor."</p>
<p>"But then we shouldn't be worried, they will control the situation, right? Wrong, whoever is behind this has a much bigger plan."</p>
<p>"And what will we do? We are just assistants. We have to tell the Murphys."</p>
<p>"No, I suspect there is something much more, there must be a trick."</p>
<p>"We can't deal with this, Jeremy..." Evan mutters, rubbing his hands on his knees.</p>
<p>"That's where you go wrong, Evan." Michael stands up and opens a cabinet full of Mountain Dew bottles. "With this we will stop them."</p>
<p>"With diabetes?" Connor asks sarcastically.</p>
<p>"Okay, I know that sounds stupid, but we found that this has an effect on the squip." Jeremy adds.</p>
<p>"What was Veronica Sawyer doing before that crisis?" Michael asks, but doesn't get an answer. However, claps his hands and smile. "Exactly! I was sitting next to Jared, he always offers Veronica some of his drink, right?"</p>
<p>Connor shakes his head from side to side. "So you expect us to go and face an army of zombies controlled by strange technology under the theory that all of this will stop with one drink? Mell, Heere, this is too much, even by your standards."</p>
<p>"Trust us, Connor. Evan, isn't it weird that Zoe left us so suddenly?" Michael mutters. "Or about Jared? Because he was acting too weird even to be him."</p>
<p>"I think... I think you're right guys, but there's nothing we can do."</p>
<p>Jeremy denies. "It's not true, we have a plan. If you want to listen to us..."</p>
<p>Connor and Evan meet eyes and nod. "If Evan is inside me too."</p>
<p>Michael gives Evan a quick glance accompanied by a smile that doesn't go unnoticed by him. And if Michael knew they'd kissed the night before, his head would explode, the way Evan felt every time he remembered it.</p>
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<p>Once the plan is made, the four of them decide to enjoy their homecoming dance. First they collect the suits at Connor's godmother's house, who makes him try on the suit to get some photos and then they head to Marvin's house because Connor forgot his shoes there and Whizzer would kill him if he saw him wearing the usual boots, even at her first dance. Because with or without Marvin, Whizzer was still too preoccupied with appearance at the end of the day.</p>
<p>As expected Whizzer almost had a heart attack when he saw Connor's hair and Jason just mentioned that red was a color he never imagined seeing in Connor's hair (or any other in general). And even though Whizzer looked horrified at first, he actually seemed delighted afterwards by Connor's new style, whom he begged to do in a ponytail.</p>
<p>When they got back to Evan's house everything was too quiet. They had an hour to get ready before the dance, but they weren't going to need too long. Evan always thought that an advantage of having short hair was not only how much it saved on shampoo, but also in time. Because apparently Connor took twice as long as Evan in the shower and getting dressed wouldn't be a big deal because his suit was ready two weeks in advance and his black shoes had been polished for a month.</p>
<p>By the time Evan comes out of the shower Connor must already be dressed because he's not in his room, which is a joy because Evan hates changing in the bathroom and would hate even more for Connor to see his half-naked body. <em>At least for now...</em></p>
<p>Evan only needs to adjust his tie to be ready once he has put on all the previous layers of clothing, and then they can leave for school to meet his friends, which actually sounds pretty good whenever he thinks about it, although not having to Zoe, his best friend, she's still a sore spot, because it would be a lie to say that he doesn't miss her. Connor appears leaning against the door frame with a small bag in his hands.</p>
<p>"You finished?" Evan denies pointing out the mess he's making trying to put on his tie.</p>
<p>"My tie is still missing." Connor reaches out, bringing his long fingers closer to Evan's chest, and begins to tie the knot under the boy's watchful eye.</p>
<p>"Can I ask you a favor?" Evan mutters a nod. "Could you paint my nails?"</p>
<p>"Uh, yeah... of course." Connor smiles at him flushed.</p>
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<p>Heidi arrives in time to take all the photos that her cell phone storage can hold. And the photos don't stop even when Jeremy and Michael come for them to get to the dance together and Heidi makes the four boys come together to have photos of everyone together. Michael has fun doing all kinds of funny poses that Connor or Jeremy sometimes add.</p>
<p>"Excited about this?" Evan asks Jeremy when Michael convinces Connor to take a picture as Spider-Man.</p>
<p>He shrinks his shoulders. "It's weird being here and not having Jared, he's my best friend and… I don't know, it's… I love you all, but it's been Jared and I for years." Evan casts his gaze toward the Murphy house.</p>
<p>"I understand you."</p>
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<p>After Heidi's photoshoot, the four of them get into Michael's truck and head straight to school with Jeremy's playlist in the background. What a strange mix between Selena Gomez and Queen.</p>
<p>For a second Evan lets himself forget the whole squip thing and his now-acting strange friends and just goes over the events of the night before in his head carefully as his gaze strays to the road.</p>
<p>Connor had kissed him. Connor Murphy, the cool guy from school, the most amazing person Evan has ever met, had voluntarily decided to kiss him and didn't run away from him. They didn't talk about it because Evan fell asleep and the next morning there was too much going on, so a small part of him broke as he imagined that maybe that kiss had meant nothing to Connor. And maybe it was like that, something that happened because of the fire of the moment or maybe Connor just wanted to prove something. And that was all that happened between them...</p>
<p>At least until Connor asked Evan to paint his nails and then leaned his head against Evan's shoulder like last night. And he knows he shouldn't get excited about such small and insignificant things, but he does it because that's part of being Evan Hansen getting excited about anything.</p>
<p>"We arrived." Michael announces with a smile before getting out of the car. The three boys follow him and they all enter the gym.</p>
<p>"Do you remember everything we'll do?" Jeremy stops them. The music is heard more and more intensely, Evan recognizes this song as Teenage Dirtbag.</p>
<p>Both boys nod, Jeremy gulping with a bit of difficulty before opening the two doors and being surprised by the decor of the gym. It wasn't a big deal, nothing like the movies, no doubt. But it looked good, better than school usually looks, in general.</p>
<p>"We will wait on this side, you go to the other side of the track, we will know when the time is right." Jeremy points, leading Michael by the arm.</p>
<p>"Do you want something to drink?" Connor asks, tucking his hair behind his ear. Evan nods smiling at Connor before the boy walks over to the drinks table.</p>
<p>He stays in the same place watching some couples on the floor dance to the rhythm of music that has changed to something more pop. For a second Evan wonders if Connor wanted to dance with him, or if there will at least be one dance left at the end, after the whole squip thing. And also a selfish thought that calls for this whole thing to be delayed so that he can enjoy his dance with Connor.</p>
<p>"Evan! Evan!" He hears his name being called out and turns to see what appears to be Jared. "Evan, you have to help me."</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?"</p>
<p>Jared looks in bad shape, has a pale face and a couple of wounds on his face "Alana, you have to-"</p>
<p>The lights go out and the spotlights are directed at the Commander and Jetstream, who enter holding hands greeting all the teenagers who cheer their names with applause and shouts, and Jared's gaze is filled with panic as Alana takes the microphone.</p>
<p>Connor reaches his side and ignores Jared. Evan watches the two boys debating what to do until Alana pulls out a strange gun-like device to attack the Commander making them all run away, however, the Commander doesn't fall and Rich and the Heathers appear locking everyone in the gym.</p>
<p>"We have to get out of here. Evan, we have to go." Jared begins to pull Evan by the arm to run away. The gym is a disaster, everyone seems to want to flee the scene, but it's impossible to find a door that is not locked. And Evan starts to panic just like Jared.</p>
<p>"No, Jeremy and Michael are there, we can't go yet." Connor mutters.</p>
<p>"Did you think that would be enough?" Larry asks. Alana's gaze is determined. She looks nervous despite the great anger she seems to have. "It didn't work for you the first time, what makes you think it will now?"</p>
<p>Alana is about to make another move, when Heather Chandler hits her and she falls to the ground. The people around them start clapping, Jared squirming under Evan's grip. Who tries to run to the other side of the gym.</p>
<p>"What are you doing? Alana is defeated." Evan says addressing Connor. He denies pulling Evan and Jared with him.</p>
<p>"If there's anyone I don't trust, it's Larry Murphy..." Jared sobs, nodding.</p>
<p>"What's going on here?" Evan asks insistently without getting a concrete answer. You can see Jeremy and Michael on the other side trying to understand what is going on and why everything still doesn't make sense.</p>
<p>"We have to get away. Evan, find Heere and Mell, we'll flee through the vents." Evan catches the attention of the two boys, they run towards him, and just when they get to his side something seems to explode.</p>
<p>"Shit, he's doing it." Whispers Jared in terror</p>
<p>"What the hell was that?" Michael exclaims, but there is no time. Connor lights a flame of fire in his hand opening the vents and causes everyone to climb in.</p>
<p>"I can't see anything Connor, turn something on..." mutters Jeremy, who is the first to enter the ducts.</p>
<p>"Do you want to be burned to death?" Connor asks before being pushed aside by Michael.</p>
<p>"Allow me, gentlemen." </p>
<p>"Brilliant, Michael." Jared mutters, Michael pausing for a second before giving him a nod.</p>
<p>"Thanks, mate."</p>
<p>They keep moving forward until they come across the exit, and to their bad luck, Zoe is there.</p>
<p>"Shit..." Michael mutters.</p>
<p>"Zoe!" Jared exclaims before pushing Michael aside and exiting the vents.</p>
<p>"Are they allied?" Jeremy asks with a frown.</p>
<p>"What? No, no, Zoe helped me."</p>
<p>"Listen, Alana-"</p>
<p>"She's an evil genius, we know that."</p>
<p>"Of course not, how did they conclude that?" They all shrug their shoulders. "My father apparently has the power to control minds, he was controlling us. He had Alana create a thing called Squip, that's why we were behaving strangely. Connor, I also found out that he manipulated your father's last mission to make him see like a villain... and I think he's controlling our mother. "</p>
<p>"I'm going to kill that asshole." Connor growls lighting his hands in a flame of fire so big that everyone has to back off. </p>
<p>"I know you're upset, Connor, but if you do that, the others will have been right about you."</p>
<p>"I'm not interested, that idiot has been manipulating our lives at his convenience, he should at least do the same to him as he did to my father."</p>
<p>"We have to help others, and our mother ..."</p>
<p>"Who? The only one who has a power here is Connor, Zoe, we're assistants and you don't even have powers." Jeremy mutters.</p>
<p>"Don't take it the wrong way, but we can't trust you two either," says Michael pointing at Jared and Zoe. "Yesterday they still hated us, why are they acting so normal all of a sudden?"</p>
<p>"My father is weakening, that's why he needed the squips... I was being controlled by him, I guess he didn't realize that I managed to free myself, I discovered that Alana was also being controlled by my father, he was weakening the control over her for a few weeks and managed to create an artifact to defeat him, and I... helped Jared get rid of his squip, but... it was painful. "</p>
<p>"Shit, so that's not raccoon scratches, cool." Michael nodded. Jared laughed.</p>
<p>"Still we are nothing against them, especially the Heathers."</p>
<p>"Were they talking about us?" Heather Chandler appears in the hallway with a terrifying smile. Next to him Rich and Jake.</p>
<p>"Go help Alana, we'll take care of them." Connor says turning to Zoe.</p>
<p>"Are you sure?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Zoe, she needs you." Evan smiles at him and Zoe hugs him with tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>"I hate this cheesy shit." Heather mutters.</p>
<p>Michael and Jeremy enter through the vent again, while Connor, Jared, and Evan wait outside ready for whatever they want to do.</p>
<p>The first to make a move is Connor, who lights fire, however, Rich runs to his side to try to put it out, Connor follows him by throwing fire at him and failing in his attempts to hurt him. Next is Heather, who multiplies and begins to follow Evan, who runs trying to flee. And lastly, Jake pulls Jared towards the lockers, where he tries to punch him in the face.</p>
<p>Jared melts and runs to the bathroom.</p>
<p>Evan is cornered by the Heathers in the cafeteria.</p>
<p>"Won't you fight, attend?"</p>
<p>"I don't use my powers to hurt anyone."</p>
<p>"Is that it or you don't have powers like stupid girl Murphy either?"</p>
<p>"Don't call her that-" Evan crashes into the wall and Heather Chandler takes that opportunity to punch Evan in the face. "You should not do that."</p>
<p>The windows behind Evan are destroyed and a large number of creepers come in forcefully hitting all of Heather's copies at the same time that they hold them in the air preventing them from fleeing the grip.</p>
<p>"Let go of us!"</p>
<p>"Why do that?"</p>
<p>"We don't want to die here! The commander will bring down the school."</p>
<p>"Wh-what!?"</p>
<p>"It will sabotage the anti-gravity apparatus."</p>
<p>Evan doesn't wait two more seconds before running off in search of Connor and the others, when he reaches the hall, Connor continues to try to throw fire at Rich, but he's much faster and manages to dodge them. At that moment, Jared comes out of the bathroom and notices that Rich is coming towards them. </p>
<p>"Evan!" Evan reacts quickly when Jared melts into an orange puddle and Evan spreads a pair of twigs to trip Rich. In this way, Connor manages to hit and hurt him.</p>
<p>"Good work, ice cream." Jared and Connor high five. "That was great, Ev." Evan blushes for two seconds before remembering that they are indeed minutes away from dying if they don't stop Larry in his attempt to bring down the school.</p>
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<p>They get a map of the school from Professor Marvin's office and it's not difficult for Michael or Jeremy to find where they need to get to. One of the conduits leads directly to the anti-gravity apparatus.</p>
<p>"Only a rat could enter through there." Michael points out frustrated.</p>
<p>Gazes quickly land on Jeremy, who sighs. "What a day..."</p>
<p>"Only you can do it," Jared says smiling. Jeremy rolls his eyes before nodding.</p>
<p>Once Jeremy is transformed, Evan takes him in his hands and carefully tucks him into the chute.</p>
<p>"I feel like an idiot..."</p>
<p>"You're doing fine, Jeremy, go on." Michael says from outside. "Look at their adorable little paws." Jared laughs.</p>
<p>"Just tell him where to go and stop flirting." </p>
<p>"Shut up." The two hit each other with their shoulders.</p>
<p>"Where do I have to go?"</p>
<p>"Oh yeah. Uhm... walk about ten feet, you'll find an opening on your right."</p>
<p>"I'm already here."</p>
<p>"Good, now you must find the panel."</p>
<p>"The what?"</p>
<p>"That will get you to the generator, Jeremy, just keep walking." Indicates Jared.</p>
<p>"We better go help Zoe, do you guys take care of this?" Connor stands up asking Jared and Michael who to nod. "Come on, Ev."</p>
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<p>When they arrive at the gym Zoe and Alana are already standing together. Alana looks hurt, with blood coming out of her nose and Connor's mother is lying on the other side of the room. Larry watches them with a smile that for a second gives Evan the creeps. The man's gaze rests on both of them now and he gives them his best disgusted face.</p>
<p>"Do I even have to deal with Cynthia's queer son to this day?" Evan can feel Connor's body tense at Larry's words. "And you, Evan... I didn't expect to see you here, you're even more of a coward than your mother."</p>
<p>"Shut up, you piece of shit." Larry laughs.</p>
<p>"What will you do? No one is a match for me." Evan backs off because it's true, even if he doesn't want to admit it. He and Connor have no training to fight on their own, Alana is badly hurt, and Zoe has no powers. They're capable of absolutely nothing next to the Commander, who has defeated the best villains in the place without even breaking a sweat.</p>
<p>Evan is shrinking into place when he sees Zoe moving purposefully toward Larry. Alana tries to stop her, but her body must ache after the blows she received.</p>
<p>"You're doing this for me, aren't you? Why are you looking to give me a power, whatever it's... is that why you manipulated the director? To put me with the heroes and not feel ashamed of your powerless daughter, am I wrong? "</p>
<p>"I expected great things from you, Zoe, I never planned to do this, but I refuse to see my daughter with the assistants, waiting for her to lose training because I know you have a power like mine, you are just too weak."</p>
<p>"Just shut up, Larry." Connor growls wearily. "I'm sick of hearing your shit about higher powers, you've done nothing but ruin our lives."</p>
<p>"Connor, stop..." Evan holds Connor by the arm. If they open their mouths too wide, and it really makes Larry angry, that will be the end of it.</p>
<p>"You killed my father and I don't know what the fuck you did to my mother, but I know I'll make you pay for it."</p>
<p>Connor shoots fire at Larry, he does so by aiming directly at the man's eye and he is hurt. He screams in pain before facing Connor again and making him stop breathing for a few seconds. His skin changes from the usual pale white color to a purple that alerts all the senses in Evan who does the same as in the cafeteria and tries to hit Larry with much larger vines causing him to lose control over Connor and managing to hold him back for a second. Evan runs to help Connor, but he's already regaining his senses.</p>
<p>Larry manages to break the vines, which hurts Evan greatly. Zoe is pushing Alana away from Larry as much as possible and comes back to them holding something between her jacket. "Alana created this as a last resort, I have a plan."</p>
<p>Connor continues to fire at Larry who manages to dodge his attacks without problem. Meanwhile, Evan seeks to ease his pain until it is enough and calls out Connor's name before crawling out of hiding and smashing through the wall with his giant vines to hold Larry up. At first it is difficult, he has no practice with vines the thickness of a tree trunk. Yet he succeeds and retains it.</p>
<p>Zoe hands Connor the artifact Alana gave her, it's shaped like a bomb, but Evan isn't sure. Zoe gives the cue to Evan and he brings a root to Connor's feet so that he can jump up to Larry and throw the bomb at him.</p>
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<p>After that, everything happens very fast. Larry is defeated, and is taken to the prison hospital. Cynthia is also taken to the hospital, along with the people who suffered from Larry's squip or manipulation.</p>
<p>Alana is carried on a stretcher due to the severity of her injuries and Zoe is willing to accompany her, even though that means missing the dance.</p>
<p>"I guess this is where I apologize, right?" Zoe elbows Evan, who smiles in denial.</p>
<p>"It was not your fault."</p>
<p>"Still... I feel guilty."</p>
<p>"But you shouldn't, you didn't do anything wrong." Zoe nods.</p>
<p>"I don't think I'll study here again after all. I have no powers."</p>
<p>"Well, you were a great hero today, Zo... and you didn't need powers to keep a cool head and that already speaks well of you, doesn't it?" They both smile. "Go, Alana must want to see you."</p>
<p>"Yeah thanks, Evan... and you... I think Connor is waiting for you."</p>
<p>Evan turns around to find all his gathered friends talking excitedly, Connor included among them and instinctively smiles before saying goodbye to Zoe and running towards them, who receive him with pats on the back and hugs.</p>
<p>"We were amazing, you must have seen Jeremy in action." Michael receives him excited by jumping with enthusiasm.</p>
<p>"And my pretty little paws?" Michael blushes when Jeremy asks addressing him.</p>
<p>"...Did you hear that?" Jeremy rolls his eyes and moves closer to Michael to take his hand and walk away with him. "The dance is going to continue, we see you in there."</p>
<p>"I'll go see if there's still food left!" Jared runs away until it's just the two of them again.</p>
<p>"Did it hurt a lot?" Connor starts with a question, Evan is slow to react and just shakes his head. </p>
<p>"Kinda, it's like I'm connected to the vines when I'm manipulating them." Evan shrugs. "But I'm fine, w-worry if someone hurt a tree, that would definitely be dangerous."</p>
<p>"I'll keep it in mind for the future." They both laugh.</p>
<p>"So is there... is there a future for you and- do we have a future? ...Together?" Evan's face is red, his hands are sweaty, and his mouth goes dry as he waits for an answer. Connor's hand reaches up to Evan's cheek and brings their foreheads together.</p>
<p>"If you want that, I would love to." Evan sighs delightedly.</p>
<p>"Great... I mean, yeah, yeah, I- that... yeah. Ugh..." Connor laughs and hugs him sticking his nose to Evan's neck.</p>
<p>"You smell very well." Evan backs away at that moment.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah, I think I should warn you... I have uhm ... pheromones? Like, like plants, so... uhm, sorry if that's bad for you." Connor shrugs in denial.</p>
<p>"I don't care, Evan." He nods more relaxed. "Do you want to come in?"</p>
<p>"Yes, of course..."</p>
<p>Evan stops Connor by holding his arm before he can enter the gym. "I have something for you ..." Evan makes a movement with his hands and hands Connor something resembling a bouquet made up of a pair of pink carnations accompanied by a pair of lilies. "May l?" Evan points to Connor's hand and he nods with a smile.</p>
<p>"You are such a romantic, Hansen." Connor jokes making Evan hide his face in his hands to hide his blush. "Come on, let's see if Michael and Jeremy finally kiss."</p>
<p>"They're more likely fighting."</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So that would be the end, I was thinking of doing an extra chapter for everything that was left unfinished in theory, but I don't know if anyone wants something like that.</p><p>Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. I saw the world crashing around your face, so I'll stop the world and melt with you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeremy denies. "It's not true, we have a plan. If you want to listen to us..."</p><p>Connor and Evan meet eyes and nod. "If Evan is inside me too."</p><p>Michael gives Evan a quick glance accompanied by a smile that doesn't go unnoticed by him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Have you ever thought of studying college like the... like people without powers?" Connor asks putting a hand over his mouth trying to hide his own anxiety. The sound of the television stops for Evan at that moment. His mind starts to race, he's been trying to stay sane since Connor came home from work and decided that sitting very, very close to Evan was the best option. And, if Evan walked away, Connor would think he disliked him, and shit, he's just the opposite.</p><p>Then, Evan licks his lips feeling his mouth dry and his chest totally full of nonsense words.</p><p>"I don't know... there's nothing that interests me, I m-mean, I love trees and I already... uh, I already control that. Not because I'm being snooty or anything! it's just-"</p><p>"I get it, don't worry, Evan." Connor smiles at him, hitting him playfully, which relaxes Evan a bit, who nods with a shy smile at the brush of Connor's body against his.</p><p>"Do you- do you want to study so-something?"</p><p>The obvious question seems to take Connor by surprise. He frowns and wrinkles his nose, which he does whenever he's overthinking something.</p><p>"I don't know," he replies. "It's just... I don't see myself being very useful in the world with my powers," Evan is about to speak, but Connor denies. "I know they seem great for... for you, for some weird reason, but... they are not good for real problems, pollution, wars, murders. I want to help in some way, and I just think throwing fire like a pokemon. It's not the way. "</p><p>The look on Connor is different, there's a small smile that seems too painful.</p><p>They're lying on the sofa bed in Evan's living room, the TV is on with some background show they've been ignoring (because Evan is never too focused with Connor around, if he wants to be honest). It's almost nine at night and Evan's mom must be on her way to work, if it's a good day and there hasn't been a last minute accident.</p><p>The right words are never in Evan's head when he needs them, and even if he did have them, making them work once they come out of his mouth is not easy to eat either. However, the best Evan can give him in that moment is his hand as a way of letting him know that he's there to support him, just as any friend would. But just before the door opens showing the petite blonde woman with a couple of bags in her hands and a frown. Connor and Evan let go of each other's hands and get to their feet as fast as possible.</p><p>"Hi guys."</p><p>Evan's heart is racing, and his cheeks are probably red.</p><p>But he's good at pretending, so he acts like nothing happened (because nothing really happened). "Hi Mom." Evan walks over to kiss his mother with Connor behind him ready to shake hands with Heidi. "What's all that?"</p><p>"I bought some things to fix Mica's mother's hair, but they sold me a red dye." The woman purses her lips. "Red! Of all the colors it had to be the one she liked the least."</p><p>Heidi collapses on the couch defeated and the boys follow suit. Evan holds the red dye packet between his fingers and admires it for a few seconds. "It looks like the color of your tie..." Evan mutters to Connor.</p><p>Heidi's eyes light up at that moment and she turns to face Connor with a smile too bright to be true. "Con, didn't you tell me you wanted to do highlights at some point?"</p><p>"Uh yeah, I think I mentioned it."</p><p>"Wouldn't you like me to try to highlight your hair?" Connor blushes and seems to back away for a moment before staring at Heidi and nodding with a shrug with a slight smile peeking between his lips.</p><p>"If you want to do it, that's fine with me."</p><p>"Oh, you'll look so handsome, darling." She claps taking all the things out of the bag. "Evan, go get my robe in the upstairs bathroom, please."</p><p>"Uh, yeah."</p><p>Connor's hair was littered with pieces of aluminum foil as he and his mother laughed at some embarrassing experiences about Evan. Like that time when his cousin convinced him that if he ate a seed, branches would grow all over his body. "Poor Evan didn't want to eat anything for hours." Evan's embarrassed face only seemed to increase Connor's curiosity and Heidi's memories. Almost like he's opening a family photo album inside his head, and it's funny because they don't have a family photo album.</p><p>Evan isn't surprised at how well Connor and his mother seemed to get along. If I looked at it in perspective, they seemed to be quite similar, such kind and lovable people who had been through difficult family relationships. Evan knew the heroes' opinion of his mother's family, wasted powers. As if she was Aquaman living in the desert under a rock war. And their opinion of him was no better.</p><p>Twenty minutes later Heidi's cell phone rings, she knows from the ringtone that it's Brenda. And Mrs. Hansen has to run to the Zoo because a chimpanzee is hurt.</p><p>"Evan, help Connor wash his hair, I set an alarm. Connor, you can take a shower too and remember to make the bed for you to sleep tonight. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Heidi says before heading out the door and getting into a white van with the City Zoo logo on it.</p><p>That leaves Connor and Evan alone when the alarm goes off and Evan has to turn it off. The two go up to the bathroom laughing because Connor decides that reminding Evan of the song he used to sing when he was three years-old is a funny thing.</p><p>"Can you forget that my mother said all that?" Evan asks with his face hidden in his hands. Too embarrassed to face this beautiful boy.</p><p>Connor denies clicking his tongue. "Unless you have the power to erase minds, I'm afraid I won't forget this until I die."</p><p>"Ugh." Evan huffs and opens the bathroom door. Connor walks in and begins to remove the foil from his head. "You're going to mess up everything if you do it that way."</p><p>"Then show me how to do it, master." Evan smiles and approaches Connor to gently remove the aluminum foil, he does so by removing one by one until there are no more and now he can wash his hair, despite the fact that there are still a few minutes until the alarm that his left behind sounds. mother.</p><p>"Now go over to the sink to clean this up." Connor ducks down, leaving his head at the level of the sink and Evan begins to clean up all traces of excess dye with his hands. He hands Connor a towel and he quickly dries himself off. "Will it show more when your hair dries?"</p><p>Connor watches himself in the mirror picking up little strands of his hair. "Yeah, maybe it's still a bit dark." Connor walks away from the mirror with a smile. "Thanks for helping me, Ev."</p><p>Evan nods sheepishly, somehow seeing Connor like this feels private. He doesn't realize until that moment that the boy is only wearing a short-sleeved shirt that leaves all the skin on his arms exposed, except for all the bracelets that cover his forearm.</p><p>"You'll look good... Connor. Not bec-because you usually look bad, because, uhm like... you- you always look good, what- what I'm trying to say is that this will look good on you like... like everything you wear, it will be a good... accessory? "</p><p>Connor is silent for a couple of seconds until he drops his head on Evan's shoulder.</p><p>"Oh..." he says surprised. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Connor doesn't respond, that upsets Evan that they already have to deal with the boy he likes resting his forehead on his own shoulder.</p><p>"Just give me a few seconds, please." He nods and tries his best not to get upset because the last thing he needs is for Connor to realize how fast his heart is beating right now and how red his face is. Connor's breath hits his neck and he does his best not to move. "Are you worried about the dance tomorrow?"</p><p>"Uh, uhm, I try not to think about it too much. The dance and all the people, and Jared... none of that." Evan didn't mention anything about the fake Connor. A giant terror grows in his stomach every time he thinks this could be the fake Connor taunting him, again. "Are you... worried?"</p><p>Connor denies shaking his head over Evan's shoulder. "I don't know, I don't think about it much either."</p><p>"Maybe we shouldn't think about that at all." Connor laughs, nodding. "Like, ignore it until we're there tomorrow and Michael keeps bringing it up."</p><p>A silence grows in the bathroom, no one says anything and Evan curses himself because surely he ruined everything as usual. Maybe he said something that Connor didn't like and now he's made things awkward between the two of them.</p><p>"Can I... can I kiss you, Evan?" Connor is looking him in the eyes, but Evan is running away from eye contact as if the simple fact that Connor saw him in the eye could betray all the mess he had unleashed inside him. "If you don't want to, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have- I'm really sorry, it wasn't- that was-"</p><p>Evan can see the shame on Connor's face who backs away. "Yeah..." Evan mutters with his fists on either side of his hips, holding his clothes tightly, and he doubts if he can slide his hands over Connor's hip right now. <em>And why did he say yes? Connor isn't doing anything and this was probably a joke, and Evan is waiting for the punchline that doesn't come. And he doesn't even know how to kiss, and what are you supposed to do? Where do you put your hands? And what do you do with a mouth over your mouth? Y-</em></p><p>And Connor is kissing him, and Evan doesn't know when Connor took him by the shoulders and pulled him closer, but for some reason he hates not being able to remember because every inch of Connor's face is something he has to admire.</p><p>The kiss is only a brush of lips where he doesn't know what to do. Connor has to crouch down to be at the level of his lips and he hadn't even considered that that small difference in height between them could cause that.</p><p>Evan's hands run up Connor's hip, just as he imagined, and he rests there feeling Connor stir under his touch, making him smile for two seconds before pulling away.</p><p>They're both flushed and flustered, which is not something Evan expected at all.</p><p>"I think I should take a shower." Connor says smiling like never before. With cheeks as red as the color of an apple, and it's amazing that he accomplished that on Connor.</p><p>"Uh, yeah..." Evan sighs in response and Connor smiles again.</p><p>"I think you should come out. Unless you want to come in with me." Evan denies more red than before and gets out of the bathroom as fast as he can.</p><p>"T-there are towels in that dr-drawer."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next morning Jeremy texts them and asks them to meet at Michael's house.</p><p>Jeremy explains the whole thing about a thing called Squip, a kind of  invention created to control people and although at first it all sounds like stupid to both of them, Michael takes it upon himself to convince them.</p><p>"I have a theory that Alana Beck is involved in all this. I saw her creating something in the school lab, but Jared and I were teasing some topics from the heroes classes and that shit was not included in the syllabus."</p><p>"And Rich is obviously the one who brought this to school, apparently he's the one who has taken it upon himself to give that to Jared and the others." Jeremy says walking across the room. "Mica and I think they will do something today at the dance."</p><p>"What are you talking about?" Connor asks.</p><p>Jeremy sighs and nods at Michael. "They invited Messrs. Murphy, apparently they are guests of honor."</p><p>"But then we shouldn't be worried, they will control the situation, right? Wrong, whoever is behind this has a much bigger plan."</p><p>"And what will we do? We are just assistants. We have to tell the Murphys."</p><p>"No, I suspect there is something much more, there must be a trick."</p><p>"We can't deal with this, Jeremy..." Evan mutters, rubbing his hands on his knees.</p><p>"That's where you go wrong, Evan." Michael stands up and opens a cabinet full of Mountain Dew bottles. "With this we will stop them."</p><p>"With diabetes?" Connor asks sarcastically.</p><p>"Okay, I know that sounds stupid, but we found that this has an effect on the squip." Jeremy adds.</p><p>"What was Veronica Sawyer doing before that crisis?" Michael asks, but doesn't get an answer. However, claps his hands and smile. "Exactly! I was sitting next to Jared, he always offers Veronica some of his drink, right?"</p><p>Connor shakes his head from side to side. "So you expect us to go and face an army of zombies controlled by strange technology under the theory that all of this will stop with one drink? Mell, Heere, this is too much, even by your standards."</p><p>"Trust us, Connor. Evan, isn't it weird that Zoe left us so suddenly?" Michael mutters. "Or about Jared? Because he was acting too weird even to be him."</p><p>"I think... I think you're right guys, but there's nothing we can do."</p><p>Jeremy denies. "It's not true, we have a plan. If you want to listen to us..."</p><p>Connor and Evan meet eyes and nod. "If Evan is inside me too."</p><p>Michael gives Evan a quick glance accompanied by a smile that doesn't go unnoticed by him. And if Michael knew they'd kissed the night before, his head would explode, the way Evan felt every time he remembered it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once the plan is made, the four of them decide to enjoy their homecoming dance. First they collect the suits at Connor's godmother's house, who makes him try on the suit to get some photos and then they head to Marvin's house because Connor forgot his shoes there and Whizzer would kill him if he saw him wearing the usual boots, even at her first dance. Because with or without Marvin, Whizzer was still too preoccupied with appearance at the end of the day.</p><p>As expected Whizzer almost had a heart attack when he saw Connor's hair and Jason just mentioned that red was a color he never imagined seeing in Connor's hair (or any other in general). And even though Whizzer looked horrified at first, he actually seemed delighted afterwards by Connor's new style, whom he begged to do in a ponytail.</p><p>When they got back to Evan's house everything was too quiet. They had an hour to get ready before the dance, but they weren't going to need too long. Evan always thought that an advantage of having short hair was not only how much it saved on shampoo, but also in time. Because apparently Connor took twice as long as Evan in the shower and getting dressed wouldn't be a big deal because his suit was ready two weeks in advance and his black shoes had been polished for a month.</p><p>By the time Evan comes out of the shower Connor must already be dressed because he's not in his room, which is a joy because Evan hates changing in the bathroom and would hate even more for Connor to see his half-naked body. <em>At least for now...</em></p><p>Evan only needs to adjust his tie to be ready once he has put on all the previous layers of clothing, and then they can leave for school to meet his friends, which actually sounds pretty good whenever he thinks about it, although not having to Zoe, his best friend, she's still a sore spot, because it would be a lie to say that he doesn't miss her. Connor appears leaning against the door frame with a small bag in his hands.</p><p>"You finished?" Evan denies pointing out the mess he's making trying to put on his tie.</p><p>"My tie is still missing." Connor reaches out, bringing his long fingers closer to Evan's chest, and begins to tie the knot under the boy's watchful eye.</p><p>"Can I ask you a favor?" Evan mutters a nod. "Could you paint my nails?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah... of course." Connor smiles at him flushed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Heidi arrives in time to take all the photos that her cell phone storage can hold. And the photos don't stop even when Jeremy and Michael come for them to get to the dance together and Heidi makes the four boys come together to have photos of everyone together. Michael has fun doing all kinds of funny poses that Connor or Jeremy sometimes add.</p><p>"Excited about this?" Evan asks Jeremy when Michael convinces Connor to take a picture as Spider-Man.</p><p>He shrinks his shoulders. "It's weird being here and not having Jared, he's my best friend and… I don't know, it's… I love you all, but it's been Jared and I for years." Evan casts his gaze toward the Murphy house.</p><p>"I understand you."</p><p> </p><p>After Heidi's photoshoot, the four of them get into Michael's truck and head straight to school with Jeremy's playlist in the background. What a strange mix between Selena Gomez and Queen.</p><p>For a second Evan lets himself forget the whole squip thing and his now-acting strange friends and just goes over the events of the night before in his head carefully as his gaze strays to the road.</p><p>Connor had kissed him. Connor Murphy, the cool guy from school, the most amazing person Evan has ever met, had voluntarily decided to kiss him and didn't run away from him. They didn't talk about it because Evan fell asleep and the next morning there was too much going on, so a small part of him broke as he imagined that maybe that kiss had meant nothing to Connor. And maybe it was like that, something that happened because of the fire of the moment or maybe Connor just wanted to prove something. And that was all that happened between them...</p><p>At least until Connor asked Evan to paint his nails and then leaned his head against Evan's shoulder like last night. And he knows he shouldn't get excited about such small and insignificant things, but he does it because that's part of being Evan Hansen getting excited about anything.</p><p>"We arrived." Michael announces with a smile before getting out of the car. The three boys follow him and they all enter the gym.</p><p>"Do you remember everything we'll do?" Jeremy stops them. The music is heard more and more intensely, Evan recognizes this song as Teenage Dirtbag.</p><p>Both boys nod, Jeremy gulping with a bit of difficulty before opening the two doors and being surprised by the decor of the gym. It wasn't a big deal, nothing like the movies, no doubt. But it looked good, better than school usually looks, in general.</p><p>"We will wait on this side, you go to the other side of the track, we will know when the time is right." Jeremy points, leading Michael by the arm.</p><p>"Do you want something to drink?" Connor asks, tucking his hair behind his ear. Evan nods smiling at Connor before the boy walks over to the drinks table.</p><p>He stays in the same place watching some couples on the floor dance to the rhythm of music that has changed to something more pop. For a second Evan wonders if Connor wanted to dance with him, or if there will at least be one dance left at the end, after the whole squip thing. And also a selfish thought that calls for this whole thing to be delayed so that he can enjoy his dance with Connor.</p><p>"Evan! Evan!" He hears his name being called out and turns to see what appears to be Jared. "Evan, you have to help me."</p><p>"What are you talking about?"</p><p>Jared looks in bad shape, has a pale face and a couple of wounds on his face "Alana, you have to-"</p><p>The lights go out and the spotlights are directed at the Commander and Jetstream, who enter holding hands greeting all the teenagers who cheer their names with applause and shouts, and Jared's gaze is filled with panic as Alana takes the microphone.</p><p>Connor reaches his side and ignores Jared. Evan watches the two boys debating what to do until Alana pulls out a strange gun-like device to attack the Commander making them all run away, however, the Commander doesn't fall and Rich and the Heathers appear locking everyone in the gym.</p><p>"We have to get out of here. Evan, we have to go." Jared begins to pull Evan by the arm to run away. The gym is a disaster, everyone seems to want to flee the scene, but it's impossible to find a door that is not locked. And Evan starts to panic just like Jared.</p><p>"No, Jeremy and Michael are there, we can't go yet." Connor mutters.</p><p>"Did you think that would be enough?" Larry asks. Alana's gaze is determined. She looks nervous despite the great anger she seems to have. "It didn't work for you the first time, what makes you think it will now?"</p><p>Alana is about to make another move, when Heather Chandler hits her and she falls to the ground. The people around them start clapping, Jared squirming under Evan's grip. Who tries to run to the other side of the gym.</p><p>"What are you doing? Alana is defeated." Evan says addressing Connor. He denies pulling Evan and Jared with him.</p><p>"If there's anyone I don't trust, it's Larry Murphy..." Jared sobs, nodding.</p><p>"What's going on here?" Evan asks insistently without getting a concrete answer. You can see Jeremy and Michael on the other side trying to understand what is going on and why everything still doesn't make sense.</p><p>"We have to get away. Evan, find Heere and Mell, we'll flee through the vents." Evan catches the attention of the two boys, they run towards him, and just when they get to his side something seems to explode.</p><p>"Shit, he's doing it." Whispers Jared in terror</p><p>"What the hell was that?" Michael exclaims, but there is no time. Connor lights a flame of fire in his hand opening the vents and causes everyone to climb in.</p><p>"I can't see anything Connor, turn something on..." mutters Jeremy, who is the first to enter the ducts.</p><p>"Do you want to be burned to death?" Connor asks before being pushed aside by Michael.</p><p>"Allow me, gentlemen." </p><p>"Brilliant, Michael." Jared mutters, Michael pausing for a second before giving him a nod.</p><p>"Thanks, mate."</p><p>They keep moving forward until they come across the exit, and to their bad luck, Zoe is there.</p><p>"Shit..." Michael mutters.</p><p>"Zoe!" Jared exclaims before pushing Michael aside and exiting the vents.</p><p>"Are they allied?" Jeremy asks with a frown.</p><p>"What? No, no, Zoe helped me."</p><p>"Listen, Alana-"</p><p>"She's an evil genius, we know that."</p><p>"Of course not, how did they conclude that?" They all shrug their shoulders. "My father apparently has the power to control minds, he was controlling us. He had Alana create a thing called Squip, that's why we were behaving strangely. Connor, I also found out that he manipulated your father's last mission to make him see like a villain... and I think he's controlling our mother. "</p><p>"I'm going to kill that asshole." Connor growls lighting his hands in a flame of fire so big that everyone has to back off. </p><p>"I know you're upset, Connor, but if you do that, the others will have been right about you."</p><p>"I'm not interested, that idiot has been manipulating our lives at his convenience, he should at least do the same to him as he did to my father."</p><p>"We have to help others, and our mother ..."</p><p>"Who? The only one who has a power here is Connor, Zoe, we're assistants and you don't even have powers." Jeremy mutters.</p><p>"Don't take it the wrong way, but we can't trust you two either," says Michael pointing at Jared and Zoe. "Yesterday they still hated us, why are they acting so normal all of a sudden?"</p><p>"My father is weakening, that's why he needed the squips... I was being controlled by him, I guess he didn't realize that I managed to free myself, I discovered that Alana was also being controlled by my father, he was weakening the control over her for a few weeks and managed to create an artifact to defeat him, and I... helped Jared get rid of his squip, but... it was painful. "</p><p>"Shit, so that's not raccoon scratches, cool." Michael nodded. Jared laughed.</p><p>"Still we are nothing against them, especially the Heathers."</p><p>"Were they talking about us?" Heather Chandler appears in the hallway with a terrifying smile. Next to him Rich and Jake.</p><p>"Go help Alana, we'll take care of them." Connor says turning to Zoe.</p><p>"Are you sure?"</p><p>"Yes, Zoe, she needs you." Evan smiles at him and Zoe hugs him with tears in her eyes.</p><p>"I hate this cheesy shit." Heather mutters.</p><p>Michael and Jeremy enter through the vent again, while Connor, Jared, and Evan wait outside ready for whatever they want to do.</p><p>The first to make a move is Connor, who lights fire, however, Rich runs to his side to try to put it out, Connor follows him by throwing fire at him and failing in his attempts to hurt him. Next is Heather, who multiplies and begins to follow Evan, who runs trying to flee. And lastly, Jake pulls Jared towards the lockers, where he tries to punch him in the face.</p><p>Jared melts and runs to the bathroom.</p><p>Evan is cornered by the Heathers in the cafeteria.</p><p>"Won't you fight, attend?"</p><p>"I don't use my powers to hurt anyone."</p><p>"Is that it or you don't have powers like stupid girl Murphy either?"</p><p>"Don't call her that-" Evan crashes into the wall and Heather Chandler takes that opportunity to punch Evan in the face. "You should not do that."</p><p>The windows behind Evan are destroyed and a large number of creepers come in forcefully hitting all of Heather's copies at the same time that they hold them in the air preventing them from fleeing the grip.</p><p>"Let go of us!"</p><p>"Why do that?"</p><p>"We don't want to die here! The commander will bring down the school."</p><p>"Wh-what!?"</p><p>"It will sabotage the anti-gravity apparatus."</p><p>Evan doesn't wait two more seconds before running off in search of Connor and the others, when he reaches the hall, Connor continues to try to throw fire at Rich, but he's much faster and manages to dodge them. At that moment, Jared comes out of the bathroom and notices that Rich is coming towards them. </p><p>"Evan!" Evan reacts quickly when Jared melts into an orange puddle and Evan spreads a pair of twigs to trip Rich. In this way, Connor manages to hit and hurt him.</p><p>"Good work, ice cream." Jared and Connor high five. "That was great, Ev." Evan blushes for two seconds before remembering that they are indeed minutes away from dying if they don't stop Larry in his attempt to bring down the school.</p><p> </p><p>They get a map of the school from Professor Marvin's office and it's not difficult for Michael or Jeremy to find where they need to get to. One of the conduits leads directly to the anti-gravity apparatus.</p><p>"Only a rat could enter through there." Michael points out frustrated.</p><p>Gazes quickly land on Jeremy, who sighs. "What a day..."</p><p>"Only you can do it," Jared says smiling. Jeremy rolls his eyes before nodding.</p><p>Once Jeremy is transformed, Evan takes him in his hands and carefully tucks him into the chute.</p><p>"I feel like an idiot..."</p><p>"You're doing fine, Jeremy, go on." Michael says from outside. "Look at their adorable little paws." Jared laughs.</p><p>"Just tell him where to go and stop flirting." </p><p>"Shut up." The two hit each other with their shoulders.</p><p>"Where do I have to go?"</p><p>"Oh yeah. Uhm... walk about ten feet, you'll find an opening on your right."</p><p>"I'm already here."</p><p>"Good, now you must find the panel."</p><p>"The what?"</p><p>"That will get you to the generator, Jeremy, just keep walking." Indicates Jared.</p><p>"We better go help Zoe, do you guys take care of this?" Connor stands up asking Jared and Michael who to nod. "Come on, Ev."</p><p> </p><p>When they arrive at the gym Zoe and Alana are already standing together. Alana looks hurt, with blood coming out of her nose and Connor's mother is lying on the other side of the room. Larry watches them with a smile that for a second gives Evan the creeps. The man's gaze rests on both of them now and he gives them his best disgusted face.</p><p>"Do I even have to deal with Cynthia's queer son to this day?" Evan can feel Connor's body tense at Larry's words. "And you, Evan... I didn't expect to see you here, you're even more of a coward than your mother."</p><p>"Shut up, you piece of shit." Larry laughs.</p><p>"What will you do? No one is a match for me." Evan backs off because it's true, even if he doesn't want to admit it. He and Connor have no training to fight on their own, Alana is badly hurt, and Zoe has no powers. They're capable of absolutely nothing next to the Commander, who has defeated the best villains in the place without even breaking a sweat.</p><p>Evan is shrinking into place when he sees Zoe moving purposefully toward Larry. Alana tries to stop her, but her body must ache after the blows she received.</p><p>"You're doing this for me, aren't you? Why are you looking to give me a power, whatever it's... is that why you manipulated the director? To put me with the heroes and not feel ashamed of your powerless daughter, am I wrong? "</p><p>"I expected great things from you, Zoe, I never planned to do this, but I refuse to see my daughter with the assistants, waiting for her to lose training because I know you have a power like mine, you are just too weak."</p><p>"Just shut up, Larry." Connor growls wearily. "I'm sick of hearing your shit about higher powers, you've done nothing but ruin our lives."</p><p>"Connor, stop..." Evan holds Connor by the arm. If they open their mouths too wide, and it really makes Larry angry, that will be the end of it.</p><p>"You killed my father and I don't know what the fuck you did to my mother, but I know I'll make you pay for it."</p><p>Connor shoots fire at Larry, he does so by aiming directly at the man's eye and he is hurt. He screams in pain before facing Connor again and making him stop breathing for a few seconds. His skin changes from the usual pale white color to a purple that alerts all the senses in Evan who does the same as in the cafeteria and tries to hit Larry with much larger vines causing him to lose control over Connor and managing to hold him back for a second. Evan runs to help Connor, but he's already regaining his senses.</p><p>Larry manages to break the vines, which hurts Evan greatly. Zoe is pushing Alana away from Larry as much as possible and comes back to them holding something between her jacket. "Alana created this as a last resort, I have a plan."</p><p>Connor continues to fire at Larry who manages to dodge his attacks without problem. Meanwhile, Evan seeks to ease his pain until it is enough and calls out Connor's name before crawling out of hiding and smashing through the wall with his giant vines to hold Larry up. At first it is difficult, he has no practice with vines the thickness of a tree trunk. Yet he succeeds and retains it.</p><p>Zoe hands Connor the artifact Alana gave her, it's shaped like a bomb, but Evan isn't sure. Zoe gives the cue to Evan and he brings a root to Connor's feet so that he can jump up to Larry and throw the bomb at him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After that, everything happens very fast. Larry is defeated, and is taken to the prison hospital. Cynthia is also taken to the hospital, along with the people who suffered from Larry's squip or manipulation.</p><p>Alana is carried on a stretcher due to the severity of her injuries and Zoe is willing to accompany her, even though that means missing the dance.</p><p>"I guess this is where I apologize, right?" Zoe elbows Evan, who smiles in denial.</p><p>"It was not your fault."</p><p>"Still... I feel guilty."</p><p>"But you shouldn't, you didn't do anything wrong." Zoe nods.</p><p>"I don't think I'll study here again after all. I have no powers."</p><p>"Well, you were a great hero today, Zo... and you didn't need powers to keep a cool head and that already speaks well of you, doesn't it?" They both smile. "Go, Alana must want to see you."</p><p>"Yeah thanks, Evan... and you... I think Connor is waiting for you."</p><p>Evan turns around to find all his gathered friends talking excitedly, Connor included among them and instinctively smiles before saying goodbye to Zoe and running towards them, who receive him with pats on the back and hugs.</p><p>"We were amazing, you must have seen Jeremy in action." Michael receives him excited by jumping with enthusiasm.</p><p>"And my pretty little paws?" Michael blushes when Jeremy asks addressing him.</p><p>"...Did you hear that?" Jeremy rolls his eyes and moves closer to Michael to take his hand and walk away with him. "The dance is going to continue, we see you in there."</p><p>"I'll go see if there's still food left!" Jared runs away until it's just the two of them again.</p><p>"Did it hurt a lot?" Connor starts with a question, Evan is slow to react and just shakes his head. </p><p>"Kinda, it's like I'm connected to the vines when I'm manipulating them." Evan shrugs. "But I'm fine, w-worry if someone hurt a tree, that would definitely be dangerous."</p><p>"I'll keep it in mind for the future." They both laugh.</p><p>"So is there... is there a future for you and- do we have a future? ...Together?" Evan's face is red, his hands are sweaty, and his mouth goes dry as he waits for an answer. Connor's hand reaches up to Evan's cheek and brings their foreheads together.</p><p>"If you want that, I would love to." Evan sighs delightedly.</p><p>"Great... I mean, yeah, yeah, I- that... yeah. Ugh..." Connor laughs and hugs him sticking his nose to Evan's neck.</p><p>"You smell very well." Evan backs away at that moment.</p><p>"Oh yeah, I think I should warn you... I have uhm ... pheromones? Like, like plants, so... uhm, sorry if that's bad for you." Connor shrugs in denial.</p><p>"I don't care, Evan." He nods more relaxed. "Do you want to come in?"</p><p>"Yes, of course..."</p><p>Evan stops Connor by holding his arm before he can enter the gym. "I have something for you ..." Evan makes a movement with his hands and hands Connor something resembling a bouquet made up of a pair of pink carnations accompanied by a pair of lilies. "May l?" Evan points to Connor's hand and he nods with a smile.</p><p>"You are such a romantic, Hansen." Connor jokes making Evan hide his face in his hands to hide his blush. "Come on, let's see if Michael and Jeremy finally kiss."</p><p>"They're more likely fighting."</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So that would be the end, I was thinking of doing an extra chapter for everything that was left unfinished in theory, but I don't know if anyone wants something like that.</p><p>Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.</p>
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